35 replies to this topic

[CNJRoss]

CBS News Los Angeles, 2/26:
 

Truck Driver Accused In Metrolink Crash Released From Jail While Authorities Investigate Crash

 

VENTURA (CBSLA.com) — The truck driver accused of triggering a Metrolink train to derail in Oxnard was released from jail after prosecutors announced that the 54-year-old would not immediately face charges in connection with the crash pending the outcome of an investigation.

 

Jose Alejandro Sanchez-Ramirez of Yuma, Ariz., is accused of abandoning his 2005 F-450 produce truck, which was hauling a trailer with welding equipment, after it got stuck on the train tracks Tuesday.

 

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“The federal agency investigating this is telling us they’re not done with their investigation but OPD [Oxnard Police Department] is in 12 hours? Just on its face, it’s ridiculous. And today, the D.A. thought so and thought, ‘Hey, we should probably get all the facts before we rush into something here’ and I respect that decision,” Sanchez-Ramirez’s attorney Ron Bamieh said.

 

The National Transportation Safety Board says cameras and data recorders revealed the train horn sounded 11 seconds before impact and the emergency brakes were applied eight seconds before impact.

 

Read more here.

[CNJRoss]

ABC News Los Angeles, 2/26:
 

Metrolink crash: No charges filed against truck driver, NTSB shares preliminary investigation

 

OXNARD, Calif. (KABC) -- The truck driver involved in the Metrolink crash in Oxnard was released from custody Thursday night, hours after the Ventura County District Attorney's Office announced that no charges would be filed against him.

 

The district attorney is expected to wait for the completion of local and federal investigations before any formal filing decision.

 

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Based on data recorder on the train, the horn sounded off 12 seconds before impact, the throttle was moved to idle 11 seconds before impact and the emergency brake was pulled eight seconds before impact. At the time of collision, the train was going about 56 mph, said Robert Sumwalt with NTSB.

 

Sumwalt noted these numbers may change slightly when the final investigation is released.

 

Based on camera footage, all signals were working properly. As the train was approached the crossing, the truck's headlights and emergency flashers were on and the driver's door was open, Sumwalt said.

 

The truck appeared to be straddling the rail and facing the train at an angle, but the trailer did not appear to be straddling the rail at all, Sumwalt said. Only the trailer was engulfed in flames after the crash.

 

Read more here.

[CNJRoss]

Los Angeles Times, 2/24:
 

New Metrolink cars' safety features probably reduced casualties

 

Metrolink's investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in safety improvements after a series of deadly collisions probably reduced casualties in Tuesday's Oxnard crash, but the accident also highlighted the limits of the ongoing campaign.

 

Three crash-resistant cars in Metrolink's new $263-million fleet of state-of-the-art passenger coaches performed well in their first test involving a major crash, rail officials said.

 

Although 28 passengers and crew members were injured when the L.A.-bound morning train struck a pickup and trailer near Oxnard, authorities emphasized there were no fatalities and the relatively heavy, energy-absorbing cars remained intact.

 

The cars, among the first to incorporate years of accident research, have front and rear crush zones, tables that give way in a wreck, improved emergency exits, fire retardant materials and more protective seating designs.  

 

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National Transportation Safety Board investigators arrived at the crash scene late Tuesday, spurred in part by the "unusual" circumstances surrounding the collision, said board member Robert Sumwalt.

 

"We don't go to every grade crossing incident, but we are very interested in this for a number of factors," he said.

 

Read more here.

[CNJRoss]

Ventura County (CA) Star, posted 2/26:
 

Details emerge in train crash, engineer has 42 years on the job

 

OXNARD, Calif. - The engineer on the commuter train that crashed in Oxnard this week has 42 years of experience and is first on Metrolink’s seniority list, officials said.

 

The 62-year-old, critically injured in Tuesday’s crash, received his biannual certification in June and is qualified on all Metrolink lines, said Robert Sumwalt, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board.

 

Sumwalt briefed reporters Thursday, the second full day of the NTSB investigation into the crash that injured 30 people, four critically, early Tuesday morning.

 

NTSB is leading the investigation and reviewing data recorders, video, records from several agencies, on-site inspections and interviews with those involved, from passengers and crew to first-responders.

 

Continue here.

 

NTSB Member Robert Sumwalt's third briefing on the Metrolink grade crossing accident (YouTube - 25:31)

[CNJRoss]

Los Angeles Daily News, posted 2/28:
 

Dollars are scarce for railroad-crossing upgrades

 

It’s basically impossible to prevent a driver from entering train tracks at most street-level crossings, like the one in Oxnard where a Metrolink train on Tuesday slammed into a pickup truck and derailed, or the one in New York where six people died last month.

 

Public officials would build more bridges and underpasses to eliminate the risk, but dollars are scarce. So they turn to less costly safety devices: more crossing arms, better signals, concrete curbs.

 

The same funding and bureaucratic obstacles that prevent major rail safety projects, though, also impede some of the most simple ones. The inaction leaves dangerous crossings in the same state for years, as accidents and deaths mount.

 

While spending more than $510 million on a high-tech collision avoidance system and safer passenger cars, Metrolink officials have not led a system-wide effort to prioritize and improve dangerous crossings. They defer to local cities and transit authorities, which have varied and limited capital.

 

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

BLET news flash, 3/2:

 

Fund established to help BLET member critically injured in Metrolink crash

 

CLEVELAND, March 2 — BLET Division 20 (Los Angeles) has established an assistance fund for Brother Glen W. Steele and his family through GoFundMe.com.

Brother Steele, 62, was working as a locomotive engineer for Metrolink on February 24, 2015, when his train collided with an abandoned heavy-duty pickup truck on the tracks near Oxnard, Calif. Brother Steele has been fighting for his life ever since — he has been in critical condition and his heart stopped twice while receiving medical treatment after the collision. The train’s conductor and Steele’s student engineer, also a BLET member, sustained injuries but were released after receiving treatment.

“We have created this GoFundMe account to help (Brother Steele) and his family in this terrible time of need,” said Brother Chad M. Skinner, Local Chairman of BLET Division 20. “We thank you for all your support and prayers.”

Brother Steele, 62, first joined the BLET 41 years ago, effective October 1, 1973.

“On behalf of the BLET National and all BLET members throughout the United States, we are praying for Brother Steele and his family,” BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce said. “Your prayers and generosity are greatly appreciated during this difficult time.”

Donations can be made online using this GoFundMe link.

 

[KevinKorell]

NBC Southern California, 3/3/15;

 

Train Engineer in Metrolink Derailment Crash Dies

 

A train engineer who was hospitalized after a Southern California commuter train derailed when it slammed into a truck on the tracks has died in the hospital, police said Tuesday.

 

The death of train engineer Glenn William Steele, 62, marks the first fatality in the Feb. 24 crash in which a Metrolink train struck a Ford F-450 truck, towing a trailer, on the Ventura County Line tracks and derailed, injuring 28.

 

 

The story

[KevinKorell]

Ventura County Star, Camarillo, CA, 3/3/15:
 
 
 

Train engineer dies week after Metrolink crash in Oxnard

 
 
Glenn Steele, 62, was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles just before 4 a.m., Los Angeles County Coroner’s Assistant Chief Ed Winter said. An autopsy to determine the exact cause of death is pending.
 
A train engineer critically injured in last week’s Metrolink crash in Oxnard died early Tuesday, officials said.

Story here

[CNJRoss]

BLET News Flash:

 

 

In the Line of Duty: Metrolink locomotive engineer Glenn W. Steele

 

CLEVELAND, March 3 — BLET member Glenn W. Steele, 62, has passed away due to traumatic injuries suffered in a Metrolink collision on February 24, 2015.

"It is with great sadness that the BLET National Division reports this tragic news to our membership," BLET National President Dennis Pierce said. "Brother Steele was a highly-trained and professional locomotive engineer who was dedicated to his craft and his Brotherhood, and to his family whom he loved. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Steele family during this difficult time."

Brother Steele, BLET Division 20 (Los Angeles), was working as a locomotive engineer for Metrolink on February 24, 2015, when his train collided with an abandoned heavy-duty pickup truck on the tracks near Oxnard, Calif. Brother Steele was in critical condition for more than a week following the crash. His heart stopped twice while receiving medical treatment during that time. The train’s conductor and Steele’s student engineer, also a BLET member, sustained injuries but were released after receiving treatment.

Brother Steele is survived by his wife, three children, and one grandchild. He first joined the BLET nearly 42 years ago, effective October 1, 1973.

BLET Division 20 has established an assistance fund for the Steele family to help with expenses during their tragic time of need. Donations can be made through the link below:

www.gofundme.com/nbytn0

[KevinKorell]

Los Angeles, CA Times, 12/16/15:

Metrolink train cars that derailed in Oxnard had flawed parts, confidential report finds

The new Metrolink passenger cars that derailed in a crash near Oxnard this year were equipped with flawed parts that were supposed to help keep trains on the track in an accident, according to a confidential report by the commuter railroad.

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