35 replies to this topic

[CNJRoss]

Amtrak Resumes Limited Service North of Los Angeles on February 25

[KevinKorell]

Los Angeles, CA, Times, 2/24/15:

 

 

Metrolink train crash: 'It's not his fault,' truck driver's wife says

 

 

The wife of the driver whose truck was struck early Tuesday by a Metrolink commuter train in Oxnard said her husband’s truck had stalled on the tracks and that the explosive crash that followed was not his fault.

This story

[KevinKorell]

ABC News, 2/24/15:

Metrolink Crash: Truck Driver Arrested on Felony Hit and Run Charge

 

The driver whose truck was involved in a crash with a Southern California Metrolink commuter train that left at least 28 people injured has been arrested on a felony hit and run charge, police said tonight.

 

Here is that story.

[CNJRoss]

BLET News Flash, 2/25:

 

Locomotive engineer critically injured in Metrolink derailment; BLET Safety Task Force investigating

 

CLEVELAND, February 25 — The BLET Safety Task Force has been dispatched to assist the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) with the investigation of a collision involving a Metrolink passenger train and a motor vehicle in Oxnard, Calif.

The accident occurred around 5:45 a.m. yesterday about 65 miles north of Los Angeles. According to media reports, approximately 28 people were injured including the train''s locomotive engineer. His injuries are considered critical. Preliminary media reports indicate the passenger train, which was carrying 48 passengers and three crew members, collided with a truck that had been abandoned on the tracks. According to media reports, the truck''s driver apparently fled the scene and was found several miles away.

Brother Carl W. Fields, Coordinator of the BLET Safety Task Force, reports that STF Primary Investigators Mike Galvani, BLET Division 664 (San Luis Obispo, Calif), and Oscar Burrola, Division 839 (Richmond, Calif.), are on scene representing BLET during the investigation. Brother Galvani is serving as BLET’s Party Spokesman.

The BLET Safety Task Force assists federal agencies in the investigation of rail accidents, helping to determine probable causes and making safety recommendations. The STF will study the accident from the viewpoint of locomotive engineers and trainmen to help determine how the accident occurred and how to prevent similar accidents from happening in the future.

The BLET has been granted Party Status by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to assist with this accident investigation. As a result, the BLET will defer all media inquiries to the NTSB, which will handle the release of information as the on-site investigation unfolds.

[lunarwhite]

Here is NBC's report on the truck driver's arrest.

http://www.nbcdfw.co...-293835911.html

The trailer he was pulling could have had welding equipment which could have included tanks of gas.

Note the paragraph halfway through beginning 'A preliminary investigation'. It says that as he approached the crossing he turned onto the tracks instead of onto the parallel street across the tracks. It was dark, but that is still dumb.

Edited by lunarwhite, 25 February 2015 - 12:14 PM.

[KevinKorell]

And I have said before that the worst crossings seem to be those where the tracks are closely parallel to a road. Then factor in a GPS (an invention which in my opinion has been a negative to safety as too much driver responsibility has been placed on it) and you have more of a deadly mix. Being told to turn right, even though where you are turning right is not a road but a set of railroad tracks requires driver common sense. Nobody was killed, so hopefully when Jose (our truck driver) is interviewed, they will find out what prompted him to make this move.

[CNJRoss]

Then factor in a GPS  .   .   .

Kevin,

 

I realize you were not specifically referring to this accident in your GPS commentary.  I have not seen any reference to a GPS in any of the reporting or NTSB comments to date.   Just wanting to keep the facts regarding this accident clear.

 

Ross

[KevinKorell]

No, I know we don't know yet if there was a GPS involved.  But that's the point. I think it's something not being mentioned that the NTSB should be focusing on based on previous incidents of vehicles turning onto tracks.

[CNJRoss]

KTLA-TV, Los Angeles, 2/25:

 

NTSB Obtains Video, Data Recorders From Train in Oxnard Metrolink Crash

 

Federal investigators continued their investigation Wednesday into a Metrolink derailment in Oxnard that occurred Tuesday morning when a five-car train struck a pickup truck, leaving dozens of people injured, four critically.

 

Meanwhile, the driver of the truck was in custody after being arrested on suspicion of leaving the scene of an injury-related crash, more commonly called hit-and-run with injuries, according to police.

 

His attorney said Wednesday that the incident was an “accident” and that the driver — 54-year-old Jose Alejandro Sanchez-Ramirez of Yuma, Arizona — had not fled the scene but had gone to find help.

 

SNIP

 

Sumwalt said he expected to be able to provide details Thursday from what was seen on forward-facing video from the train and from the event data recorder on board. The video, he said, could help determine whether the truck driver flashed his bright headlights at the oncoming train, as Sanchez-Ramirez’s attorney asserted.

 

“Knowing we have good data on those recorders is key,” Sumwalt said Wednesday afternoon. “We are very early in the investigation.”

 

SNIP

 

Ten of the injured were transported to Ventura County Medical Center. Four of those victims, including the train’s engineer, were listed in critical condition, said Dr. Bryan Wong, the hospital’s chief medical officer.

 

On Wednesday morning, the engineer suffered cardiac arrest and his heart stopped twice, Wong said. He was resuscitated thanks to “heroic measures,” Wong said, asking for thoughts and prayers in support of the engineer and his family and caregivers.

 

Continue here w/video reports and sidebars.

[CNJRoss]

KABC-TV, Los Angeles 2/25:
 

NTSB: Metrolink train's camera captured crash with truck

 

OXNARD, Calif. (KABC) -- National Transportation Safety Board investigators are revealing more about Tuesday's Metrolink train crash in Oxnard. This as a lawyer for the driver who abandoned his pickup truck on the tracks speaks out.

 

The repair work is done but the investigation is far from over. NTSB says it's unclear if the pickup truck hit by the Metrolink train was stuck on the tracks at the point of impact.

 

About 2,100 crossing accident occur each year, but Tuesday's derailment drew NTSB attention because the truck was found having driven down the tracks. Investigators are expected to remain on scene for five to seven days.

 

SNIP

 

As part of the investigation, NTSB plans to do a sight distance test, which means they will set up a mock situation to see how far down the track each person could actually see from both the train and pickup truck.

 

The NTSB is also looking at video and data equipment on the train that captured the fiery crash and should give investigators a big boost to the search for a cause. The video is now being examined at the agency's Washington home. Their investigation will likely take months to complete.

 

 

Read more here w/related links.

 

Sidebar:
 

What to do if your car is stuck on train tracks

 

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- What should a driver do if he or she gets stuck on the railroad tracks?

 

SNIP

 

At every railroad crossing, you'll find an equipment box with the crossing location and a phone number on it. If you get stuck, instructors advise calling that number immediately.

 

"That lets them know exactly what crossing you're at and they can get a hold of the train and tell them what to do," said truck driving supervisor Wayne Ewing.

 

Read more here w/video report.