This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
The Glendale train crash was the deadliest incident in the history of Metrolink, the commuter railroad in the Los Angeles area (note that the trains involved in this crash are not those of the similiarly-named light-rail operator, Metro). At least 11 people died when the incident occurred on January 26, 2005 at 6:00 AM Pacific time next to a Costco warehouse store on the Glendale-Los Angeles boundary in an industrial area, north of downtown Los Angeles. Two Metrolink passenger trains and a Union Pacific freight train were involved in the collision, which occurred about half a mile south of downtown Glendale. Both passenger trains were double-deck commuter trains, one northbound from Los Angeles Union Station, the other southbound into the same station. One train overturned and the other caught fire.
The incident is notable for its magnitude, involving two passenger trains, a freight train and a Jeep, and that an aborted suicide bid was apparently responsible for the entire disaster.
Background
Although Southern California is known for its automobile-dependent population, frequent traffic jams and relatively high oil prices make rail an attractive alternative, at least for those who work in downtown Los Angeles. In the early morning rush hour period, the northbound train (leaving Los Angeles) normally carries 30-50 passengers. The southbound train (traveling toward Los Angeles) normally has 200-250 people on board.
The freight train involved in the accident was parked up, waiting its turn to deliver track ballast to maintenance crews working on track washouts caused by major rainstorms in Southern California in January 2005.
The next day, police prevented a similar incident in Irvine, California, where a suicidal man parked his car on Metrolink tracks. He drove away from the tracks when police arrived and they were then able to arrest him.
Investigation
A National Transportation Safety Board team is investigating the crash. The Glendale Police Department is leading the criminal investigation, with the Sheriff's Department and the Los Angeles Police Department assisting.
Initial press reports suggest that the southbound Metrolink trains hit an automobile that was parked on a grade crossing along Chevy Chase Drive just west of San Fernando Road, causing that train to derail. Cars from the derailed train jack-knifed, hitting both the locomotive of the stationary freight train and side-swiping the rear of the moving northbound passenger train. This caused the rear cars of the northbound train to derail, and at least one car rolled over onto its side. A fire, involving one or more passenger cars, was caused by spilt diesel fuel.
The root cause of the accident is attributed to the driver of the automobile, Juan Manuel Alvarez of Compton, that had parked on the grade crossing, who was attempting to commit suicide. The driver had slashed his wrists, stabbed himself and parked his car on the tracks to finish the attempt. But before the train arrived on the scene, the driver had changed his mind and, unable to move the car in time, left it on the tracks while he moved away from the tracks. (There is some speculation that the driver may have inflicted the wounds on himself after the crash, based on some early reports by witnesses.) Both this causation and the end result have many similarities to that of the Ufton Nervet rail crash in the United Kingdom, which occurred only three months previously.
Some early rumors of the incident being a terrorist attack have been dismissed, as no connections to any terrorist organization exist with the suspect.
Police on the scene found Alvarez wandering the streets repeating "I'm sorry" and took him into custody after they had determined that it was his car that was parked on the tracks. He is facing up to 11 counts of homicide when his case is presented. Prosecutors in the case have stated that they may seek the death penalty against him. His preliminary arraignment hearing is scheduled for February 15 2005.
Casualties
Current reports indicate that a total of 11 passengers were killed in the collision. Between 100 and 200 people were injured. In terms of casualties, the crash had the same death toll as the March 15, 1999, Bourbonnais train accident, making it the deadliest U.S. train crash in almost six years.
Passengers killed in this accident include:
- Manuel Alcala, 51, of West Hills
- Julia Bennett, 44, of Simi Valley
- Alfonso Caballero, 62, of Winnetka
- Elizabeth Hill, 62, of Van Nuys
- Henry Kilinski, 39, of Orange
- Scott McKeown, 42, of Moorpark
- Thomas Ormiston, 58, of Northridge
- William Parent, 53, of Canoga Park
- Leonard Romero, 53, of Rancho Cucamonga
- James Tutino, 47, of Simi Valley
- Don Wiley, 58, of Simi Valley
External links
Sources
- Los Angeles Times, Tragedy on the Rails. Collection, updated as new articles are added.
- CBS/AP, Parked car caused train wreck. Retrieved January 26 2005.
- CBS/AP, Suspect Held In Deadly Train Wreck. Retrieved January 27 2005.
- Gonzalez, Maria, and Keating, Jessica; Ventura County Star, 11 killed amid Metrolink 'chaos'. Retrieved January 27 2005.
- Gorman, Steve; Reuters, Ten die in LA train crash; Murder charge planned. Retrieved January 26 2005.
- Molloy, Tim; Associated Press, Suicide try triggers California commuter rail tragedy, police say. Retrieved January 26 2005.
- Michael Muskal and Jesus Sanchez; Los Angeles Times, Man Faces Charges in Metrolink Collision. Retrieved 16:30 January 26 2005 UTC.
- Serjeant, Jill; Reuters, Murder charges for Calif. man over train wreck. Retrieved January 27 2005.
- Valencia-Martinez, Angie, and Boghossian, Naush; Los Angeles Daily News, Grief spreads into Ventura County. Retrieved January 27 2005.
- Various; Wikinews, People killed as three trains crash in Los Angeles. Revised 17:16 January 26 2005 UTC.
- Kalmbach; Trains News Wire, 10 killed, hundreds injured after parked vehicle on tracks causes derailment of two Metrolink commuter trains. Retrieved 12:00 January 27 2005 UTC.