Deadly rush-hour commuter train crash
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) - At least 10 people were killed and dozens injured Friday when a Metrolink train packed with hundreds of rush-hour commuters collided with a freight train in suburban Los Angeles, officials said.
he apparent head-on collision between Metrolink train 111 and the Union Pacific train occurred about 4:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. ET) in Chatsworth, a northwestern suburb of Los Angeles. It sparked a fire that was brought under control.
Los Angeles County sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said 10 people had died, as rescuers continued to search the wreckage. The media relations department of the Los Angeles police department said one officer was among those killed, but did not release additional details.
"That number will likely grow because, as you know, we are in a rescue phase," said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
About 220 people were on the commuter train, which was heading north, according to Los Angeles authorities. Passengers were still being evacuated, said Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell. Three passenger cars and one locomotive were involved in the crash.
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Filed under: 360° Radar |
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My prayers and heart felt sympathy are for family, friends and survivors of this horrific incident.
I can't even begin to imagine how horrible this must be for them.
I am a Canadian and have difficulty coming to grips with the number of tragic incidents that your country has suffered. On CNN I hear and see people who have suffered in some way through these incidents, be it a hurricane, flooding or incidents such as this, and it's difficult to realize their pain. One has to stop and realize that this isn't just a story on TV. These people are real folks suffering real tragedy.
God bless and be with you all.
Sincerely, from Canada
The rescue team was incredible ! The response from the mayor and senator on the scene was impressive ! They seem to understand the concept,"We are all in this together." God bless those folks and that was horrible !
It tragic to see all these events happen all at once but feel very strongly that it is being created for a reason.We have huge opportunity to become accountable for what we are creating in our environment and how we treat one another.We are the greatest country in the world and can send a strong and clear message to each other and our neighbors that we can and will unite when tragedy strikes.
Let us remind ourselves of why we as a nation are called the United States of America. Let not our politics or conflict in government distract us to what is important at this time.Let us all offer ourselves-individually and as a collective to begin to heal these tragedy's– completely absent of the outside noise–even if it is only for a moment in prayer....
Peace be to you,me and everyone in the middle...
Jen Gallo
“The engineer was guiding the Metrolink train that slammed head-on into a freight train and is not believed to have survived, Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell said…”
“It was human error,” Tyrrell said…”
“Tyrrell said the engineer, whom she didn’t identify, was a subcontractor employed by another company. She said she did not have details of his record.”
Some positions should never be outsourced (subcontracted out). This level of responsibility demands the best skilled, best qualified person. This is usually the well trained, highly experienced, long standing employee of Metrolink, not some alternate route novice from “Engineer Temps”. You get what you pay for. Metrolink will pay the families of the dead dearly for their feeble cost saving attempt. What will your precious shareholders say now?
"The engineer was guiding the Metrolink train that slammed head-on into a freight train and is not believed to have survived, Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell said..."
"It was human error," Tyrrell said..."
"Tyrrell said the engineer, whom she didn't identify, was a subcontractor employed by another company. She said she did not have details of his record."
Some positions should never be outsourced (subcontracted out). This level of responsibility demands the best skilled, best qualified person. This is usually the well trained, highly experienced, long standing employee of Metrolink, not some alternate route novice from "Engineer Temps". You get what you pay for. Metrolink will pay the families of the dead dearly for their feeble cost saving attempt. What will your precious shareholders say now?
You would think technology would have kicked in - lie auto braking the train that ran the light. In either case the lost of life sucks and again i would have much prefered a train load of gang bangers vs a group of normal folks.
I ride the Ventura County line every day. That particular train leaves right before mine. I happened to drive yesterday and when I heard the news I couldn't believe it. I know everyone was trying to get home to their families and loved ones after a long work week. My heart goes out to everyone.
I want to know how 2 trains can be in the same block at the same time.
Sounds like Someone ran a Red light & What about Dispatch? They have a Board that tracks the trains & should have allerted Both Crews to Stop before the Cornfield meet occured.
My Condolences to the Families that lost loved ones in this incident.
Wow, this is definitely a tragic story. First off, my prayers are going out to the family and friends of the victims. This is such a tragic accident and I can only imagine what they are feeling at this moment. I am praying for them and I know that they will make it through all of this.
After reading the article it is shocking to read that officials do not even know how the trains collided. Since part of the curved track was to only have one train at a time pass through. And even though the trains were going at a slower speed of 40 mph, their collision was still devastating. I feel like this is one accident that could have been prevented. Was their some kind of miscommunication between the trains? I’m really interested to see what officials have to say what the reason for this crash is.
It actually scares me knowing that the fatalities may rise. I really hope that it doesn’t and again, my prayers go out to everyone involved in the crash. Hopefully, we all learn from this because this cannot happen again.
Very terrible accident. I wonder if it's similar to one that happened in the city of Orange in 2002 where a UP train missed a orange signal. The Metrolink trains are a very good form of transportation but if there's an accident, there's always going to be at least serious injuries because there's nothing to prevent bodies from flying all over the car and some seats come with tables which themselves cause serious internal injuries.
Also in most routes, there are portions of track where UP, BNSF and/or Metrolink share. There's various agreements in place, some for safety, some to keep the commuter trains close on schedule.
This is what I HEARD.
Commuter Train left the prior station in the normal routine it does.
Normally the local is sitting in the siding after completing thier work ahead of the commuter waiting for the meet with the commuter.
The local was late finishing his work and was en route to the siding for the meet with the commuter.
The engineer on the commuter wasn't PAYING ATTENTION to the signals he was passing and blew by a red signal and through a switch colliding head on with the on coming local.
The UP crew jumped clear prior to the collision and recieved minor injuries.
Again this is rumor and has yet to be proven. However, the majority of train accidents are due Human Mistakes.
Wow! that is so terrible!!!! my thoughts and prayers for victim's family and friends, my heart goes to all the Los Angeles's people who lost loved ones! my heart is breaking, and I am tearing my face.
Megan D.
Shoreline, Wa
This is simply horrifying. I live in the LA area and I know so many people who are beginning to take public transportation due to rising environmental and financial issues. Mistakes like this cannot occur... they simply cannot. I am very interested to see what the investigators discover about the cause of this accident. I'm also interested to see how many people stop taking public transportation because they do not feel safe.
Come on LA – get your act together. People are dying out there.