syscom3
Pacific Historian
At 4:30PM Pacific Time, a metrolink commuter train smacked head on into a UP freight train, in the Simi Valley area of Los Angeles.
The metrolink engine is on the ground.
The metrolink engine is on the ground.
Breaking news - train collision.
- Thread starter syscom3
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B-17engineer
Colonel
Any casualties?
- Thread starter
- #3
syscom3
Pacific Historian
At least 15 reported dead as Metrolink cars crash into freight train - Los Angeles Times
70 people are injured, some of them critically in the deadliest crash in Metrolink history. Officials expect more fatalities. Up to 400 may have been on passenger train.
By David Pierson, Scott Glover and Cara Mia DiMassa, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
9:18 PM PDT, September 12, 2008
A Metrolink train and a Union Pacific freight train collided head-on in Chatsworth this afternoon, killing at least 15 people and injuring at least 70 others. Dozens of people were believed to be trapped in the wreckage despite the efforts of more than 250 firefighters, police officers and paramedics.
The number of fatalities makes this the deadliest Metrolink crash in the history of the Los Angeles area's commuter railroad.
One of the fatalities is believed to be the Metrolink engineer. Another is a Los Angeles Police Department officer, according to authorities.
Several cars derailed and the two trains collided with such force that the lead passenger car was wrapped around the Metrolink locomotive.
Firefighters initially battled a ferocious blaze in part of the wreckage. Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrell estimated that 350 to 400 people were on the train.
Related information
Metrolink releases statement, hotline for families
Passengers at Union Station wonder how, when they
will get home
Previous Metrolink accidents
Metrolink A-Z
"It is a very, very sad situation. We honestly don't know what happened. Obviously two trains are not supposed to be at the same place at the same time," she said. "The conductor was not killed. He may have been involved in ensuring passengers getting off the train. There are still passengers inside."
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said that the head-on collision occurred at 4:23 p.m. A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy who was on the train alerted authorities immediately after the collision.
Villaraigosa said that the number of fatalities was "likely to grow," but that authorities were still in a rescue phase as of 8:15 p.m.
"Our hearts and prayers are with the families of all the injured and deceased," said Villaraigosa. "And this tragedy has hit even closer to home now that we've lost a Los Angeles police officer."
One of the injured passengers, Albert Cox, 53, said he boarded the train in Burbank on his way home to Simi Valley. He sat facing backward in the last of the three cars, a decision he said proved fortuitous.
Cox said he watched the collision as it occurred. Sitting in the last car as the train rounded a steep turn in the tracks, Cox said, he looked out the window on the left side of the train, confused at first by what he saw.
A regular Metrolink rider, Cox said that at first he thought the freight train was on a side track but then he realized that both trains were on the same track on the curve. "My first thought was 'I'm not seeing this,' " he said.
"And then I knew the train was coming right toward us," he said.
On impact, Cox was thrown over his seat, landing on a table between two seats and breaking it.
"The table won," he said as a nurse wrapped him in red triage blanket.
Another injured passenger, Willie Castro, 67, of Simi Valley, said he was in the last Metrolink car at the time of the crash. Castro, who was sitting on a green plastic chair given to him by a resident of a nearby home, said he thought his leg was broken.
Castro said he was sitting by a window of the Metrolink car, talking to passengers about work and about the coming weekend, when the crash occurred.
"I was riding, sitting down, minding my own business, when all of a sudden -- boom, people go flying all over the place," he said. "Everyone started screaming. You could hear that everyone was in pain."
The passenger train was Metrolink 111, which left Union Station in Los Angeles at 3:35 p.m. and was headed to Moorpark. The wreck occurred on a steep, curving track near Stoney Point Park, just east of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and about a quarter-mile south of the 118 Freeway.
Tyrell said that trains on the track would normally be traveling 55 mph to 79 mph. The locomotive was at the front, pulling the train, she said. "Apparently the locomotive was shoved into the passenger train."
(see link for pages 2 and 3)
70 people are injured, some of them critically in the deadliest crash in Metrolink history. Officials expect more fatalities. Up to 400 may have been on passenger train.
By David Pierson, Scott Glover and Cara Mia DiMassa, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
9:18 PM PDT, September 12, 2008
A Metrolink train and a Union Pacific freight train collided head-on in Chatsworth this afternoon, killing at least 15 people and injuring at least 70 others. Dozens of people were believed to be trapped in the wreckage despite the efforts of more than 250 firefighters, police officers and paramedics.
The number of fatalities makes this the deadliest Metrolink crash in the history of the Los Angeles area's commuter railroad.
One of the fatalities is believed to be the Metrolink engineer. Another is a Los Angeles Police Department officer, according to authorities.
Several cars derailed and the two trains collided with such force that the lead passenger car was wrapped around the Metrolink locomotive.
Firefighters initially battled a ferocious blaze in part of the wreckage. Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrell estimated that 350 to 400 people were on the train.
Related information
Metrolink releases statement, hotline for families
Passengers at Union Station wonder how, when they
will get home
Previous Metrolink accidents
Metrolink A-Z
"It is a very, very sad situation. We honestly don't know what happened. Obviously two trains are not supposed to be at the same place at the same time," she said. "The conductor was not killed. He may have been involved in ensuring passengers getting off the train. There are still passengers inside."
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said that the head-on collision occurred at 4:23 p.m. A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy who was on the train alerted authorities immediately after the collision.
Villaraigosa said that the number of fatalities was "likely to grow," but that authorities were still in a rescue phase as of 8:15 p.m.
"Our hearts and prayers are with the families of all the injured and deceased," said Villaraigosa. "And this tragedy has hit even closer to home now that we've lost a Los Angeles police officer."
One of the injured passengers, Albert Cox, 53, said he boarded the train in Burbank on his way home to Simi Valley. He sat facing backward in the last of the three cars, a decision he said proved fortuitous.
Cox said he watched the collision as it occurred. Sitting in the last car as the train rounded a steep turn in the tracks, Cox said, he looked out the window on the left side of the train, confused at first by what he saw.
A regular Metrolink rider, Cox said that at first he thought the freight train was on a side track but then he realized that both trains were on the same track on the curve. "My first thought was 'I'm not seeing this,' " he said.
"And then I knew the train was coming right toward us," he said.
On impact, Cox was thrown over his seat, landing on a table between two seats and breaking it.
"The table won," he said as a nurse wrapped him in red triage blanket.
Another injured passenger, Willie Castro, 67, of Simi Valley, said he was in the last Metrolink car at the time of the crash. Castro, who was sitting on a green plastic chair given to him by a resident of a nearby home, said he thought his leg was broken.
Castro said he was sitting by a window of the Metrolink car, talking to passengers about work and about the coming weekend, when the crash occurred.
"I was riding, sitting down, minding my own business, when all of a sudden -- boom, people go flying all over the place," he said. "Everyone started screaming. You could hear that everyone was in pain."
The passenger train was Metrolink 111, which left Union Station in Los Angeles at 3:35 p.m. and was headed to Moorpark. The wreck occurred on a steep, curving track near Stoney Point Park, just east of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and about a quarter-mile south of the 118 Freeway.
Tyrell said that trains on the track would normally be traveling 55 mph to 79 mph. The locomotive was at the front, pulling the train, she said. "Apparently the locomotive was shoved into the passenger train."
(see link for pages 2 and 3)
Lucky13
Forum Mascot
B-17engineer
Colonel
sad to hear
evangilder
"Shooter"
Damn...That's not far from me, and the destination was my town. I don't know the Metrolink routes, but some of the people in the new building at work are taking metrolink from Woodland Hills to Moorpark and Oxnard. I hope it wasn't one of the trains that stops in Woodland Hills.
lesofprimus
Brigadier General
Holly sh!t, striking too close to home......
evangilder
"Shooter"
B-17engineer
Colonel
Hats off to the rescue workers
wilbur1
Tech Sergeant
Man talk about destruction, those engines weigh like 120 tons
GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
Man, we've sure had our share of disasters this year...
That is sad news indeed
That is sad news indeed
Sh*t! Heard about this on the news this morning.
Any word on the cause?
Any word on the cause?
Thorlifter
Captain
Very sad news.
- Thread starter
- #16
syscom3
Pacific Historian
It seems the Metrolink engineer blew through a red light.
I'm not kidding or being funny .....
I'm not kidding or being funny .....
B-17engineer
Colonel
Error by one person kills many more.....very sad...
evangilder
"Shooter"
I heard that too, syscom. Not a good thing for Metrolink, which has not had a stellar safety record.
Thorlifter
Captain
Yeah, this is just a sad event.
