Los Angeles Metrolink - fatal derailment

Just in on the newswire:

GLENDALE, Calif. Jan 26, 2005 (AP) — A Metrolink commuter train derailed before dawn Wednesday in this Los Angeles suburb, killing at least three people and injuring many others, authorities said.

Firefighters could be seen carrying injured people from the cars, as smoke wafted from twisted wreckage at the scene of the crash. Two separate trains could be seen derailed; the other train appeared to be operated by Union Pacific.

At least three people were confirmed killed, Los Angeles Fire Capt. Rex Vilaubi told KABC-TV.

The train was headed from Los Angeles' Union Station to downtown Burbank.

"There are multiple injuries," Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell told KABC-TV. "We are at the moment attending to those injuies on the ground and we're assessing the situation."

In a light rain, firefighters were searching through wreckage from the crash and set up a command post in a nearby parking lot, where injured people could be seen laying on mats awaiting treatment.

Representatives from Union Pacific did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

One Metrolink car appeared to have been sent twisting backwards by the force of the crash, which occurred after 6 a.m. near the intersection of San Fernando Road and Chevy Chase Boulevard.

I'm watching it on Fox News now. 4 dead. One car aparently was hit with so much force that it swung over, hitting and knocking over a UP engine that was parked on a siding. The front 1/3rd of that car that hit the UP loco is obliterated. It's just shards of metal.

Another car looks like it was catapulted over a few yards to the side of the train and is now on its sides.

About 100 injured, many of them very critically.

Aparently one sideswipped the other.

One was to Burbank, another was to I think it's spelt morepark. I'm not sure if that's the right name. I just heard it on the news. Both were from Union Station.

CNN says that one of the Metrolink trains hit a car at a grade crossing, and then hit another Metrolink train.

Here's a link to a Yahoo! News story with photos:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... ain_derail

Some stations are reporting that the car was intentionaly left there, sort of like in 24.

9 dead. Unbelievable.

This from a member of the New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers (NJ-ARP), at about 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time (9:30 a.m. Pacific Time), as many East Coast rail advocates look on:

"CNN just reported that the individual who drove onto the crossing was trying to commit suicide. He survived but 9 are now dead and they expect the death toll to rise as they still have not been able to get into the crushed part of the trains to see if anybody is trapped there. Awaiting heavy equipment to cut the train open."

NJ-ARP has no idea how accurate this report is.

If that's true, it sounds all too familiar - 6 people on a London to Plymouth express died as a result of someone doing that (parking his car on an unmanned level crossing shortly before the train was due - the resulting collision lead to a serious high-speed derailment) just a few months ago.

GM

This is reported on the NY Times website:

Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca said authorities were speaking with the driver of the vehicle and believe it was intentionally parked on the tracks.

``It didn't appear that the vehicle had stalled,'' Baca said. ``It appears that it was deliberately placed there.''

Something doesn't fit. How the heck does a derailment this bad occur from merely hitting a jeep at a grade crossing?

JD

I think the train that hit the jeep was in push mode, which tends to cause more derailments because of in-train forces. During a collision, the engine would still be pushing the rest of the train into the wreck...

NIMBYkiller wrote: One was to Burbank, another was to I think it's spelt morepark.

Moorpark

Whete to start? I'm realy shocked by the news of this crash. Maybe now the various govt.s / legislatures will start getting serious about crossing safety, although this clearly falls under "sabotage." I wonder if this might fall into Homeland Securitie's court?
As for the death penalty, (IMHO) it's just too damn good for the man. However, (and I skirt the razor's edge of controversy here,) if it were possible to give the man the death sentance, he would suffer many years of incarceration while wondering all the while if the sentance would, in fact be carried out. I think letting this one sit in the nation's current prison system for the rest of his nat. life is about the best(sic) we could hope for, but I digress.
I think the one bright spot in all this may be for more support for such honorable organizations such as Operation Lifesaver. Maybe now they'll get the kind of support they need and deserve.

RailBus63 wrote:Something doesn't fit. How the heck does a derailment this bad occur from merely hitting a jeep at a grade crossing?

JD

It's not unheard of for trains to derail (cab car or locomotive) when hitting SUV's or trucks, but normally they don't impact another train. Had the UP freight not been there, as well as the second metrolink this would have been a minor incident in comparison.

This has been going on since 6:02am pacific time. I've known some crew members who have been involved in some stuff like this. None of my friends in the rail industry where involve in this tragedy. The crew that was assigned to this tragedy will probably not be able to sleep for three days. Just tragic.

Do we know how the crews on these trains fared? I imagine the engineer in the leading cab car that hit the car had quite a ride...