BROOKLYN, NY — A blind man was struck and killed by a subway train in Brooklyn last night after he apparently slipped and fell onto the tracks, police and neighbors said.

The man, identified by neighbors as Richard Wingard, 54, of Foster Ave., tumbled onto the southbound track at the Avenue I station in Ocean Parkway near his home as an F train approached, officials said.

Wingard tumbled onto the track as the train approached.

One unidentified passenger on the platform ran to tell the token clerk while another frantically waved at the train to halt, witnesses said. But the train could not stop in time and struck Wingard at 6:23 p.m., said Paul Fleuranges, a spokesman for the Transit Authority.

Wingard was pronounced dead at the scene and train service through the station stopped for almost an hour, Fleuranges said.

Neighbors said Wingard was popular and friendly and ran his own errands.

"His mother is disabled, and he did her shopping even with his own disability" said Chris Mongelli, 24, manager of a nearby supermarket. "He was great. He will be missed. I can't believe it, We are all upset."