2005 Glendale train crash

Infobox rail accident


title= PAGENAME
date= 6:03, January 26, 2005
location= Los Angeles County, California
coordinates= coord|34|7|47.67|N|118|15|48.42|W
line = Coast Line (UP)
cause= vehicle placed on track, deliberate sabotage
trains= 3: 2 Metrolink passenger trains, 1 Union Pacific work train
pax=
deaths= 11
injuries= The Glendale train crash is the second deadliest incident in the history of Metrolink, the commuter railroad in the Los Angeles, California, area. It was overtaken as the deadliest by the 2008 Chatsworth train collision.

On January 26, 2005 at 6:03 AM PST, a Metrolink commuter train collided with a sport utility vehicle that had been abandoned on the tracks next to a Costco Store on the Glendale-Los Angeles boundary in an industrial area, north of downtown Los Angeles. The train jacknifed and struck trains on either side of it, one a stationary Union Pacific freight train and the other a Metrolink train moving in the opposite direction, resulting in the deaths of eleven people.

Juan Manuel Alvarez, who left his Jeep Cherokee Sport on the tracks, was arrested and charged with 11 counts of murder with "special circumstances." Authorities and Alvarez' legal defense claimed Alvarez was planning to commit suicide, but changed his mind at the last minute. Alvarez was convicted in June 2008 of the eleven counts plus one count of arson, and though prosecutors sought a death sentence, was sentenced in August 2008 to eleven consecutive life sentences in prison with no possibility of parole.

Background

Although Southern California is known for its automobile-dependent population, frequent traffic jams and relatively high gasoline prices make rail travel an attractive alternative, at least for those working 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 (entering Los Angeles) normally has 200–250 people on board.

The freight train involved in the accident was "tied up" (parked), waiting its turn to deliver track ballast to repair tracks on the former Southern Pacific Railroad's Coast Line (so called because it runs along California's coast from Ventura County through Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo) washed out by major January 2005 rainstorms.

The next day, police intervened in a similar incident in Irvine, California where a suicidal man parked his car on Metrolink tracks. The man drove away from the tracks when police arrived and was later arrested, possibly preventing another accident.

Regular Metrolink passenger service was restored through the accident scene on Monday, January 31 2005.

Investigation

A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) team investigated the crash. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen's (BLET) Safety Task Force assisted the NTSB. The Glendale Police Department led the criminal investigation, assisted by the Union Pacific Police Department, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, and the criminal case was tried in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Initial reports suggested that the southbound Metrolink train hit the parked Jeep on a grade crossing along Chevy Chase Drive just west of San Fernando Road ( [http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?country=US&addtohistory=&formtype=address&searchtype=address&cat=&address=W%20Chevy%20Chase%20Dr%20%26%20San%20Fernando%20Rd&city=Glendale&state=CA&zipcode=91204&searchtab=home map] ), causing that train to derail. Cars from the derailed train jackknifed, hitting both the locomotive of the stationary freight train and sideswiping 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 spilled diesel fuel.

The root cause of the accident was attributed to the driver of the automobile, Juan Manuel Alvarez of Compton, who deliberately drove and left his vehicle onto the tracks while allegedly attempting to commit suicide. Having slashed his wrists and stabbed himself repeatedly in the chest, he parked his car on the tracks to finish the attempt. However, Alvarez changed his mind and attempted to leave the railroad tracks. Because he was unable to dislodge his vehicle from the rain-soaked gravel and slick rails, he abandoned the vehicle moments before the crowded train approached. (There is some speculation that Alvarez 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, although in that case the driver of the car stayed in the vehicle and was killed.

Rumors of the incident being a terrorist attack have been dismissed, as no connections to any terrorist organization exist with the suspect. Links to Chicano street gangs were also dismissed.

Police on the scene found Alvarez wandering the streets repeating "I'm sorry"; they remanded him into custody after determining that it was his vehicle parked on the tracks. Facing 11 counts of murder, he pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on February 15 2005.

On Friday, August 26 2005, prosecutors officially announced that they would seek the death penalty against Alvarez, and were prepared to use a rarely cited "train wrecking" statute in California law, even though trains rarely derail when they hit a car. [http://www.trains.com/content/dynamic/articles/000/000/006/135qivxy.asp?] dead link|date=August 2008

On June 26, 2008, a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury found Alvarez guilty of 11 counts of first degree murder with special circumstances. [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hyFsMk7apWyMP1VKUbpnu9UlO5pQD91HVFS00] dead link|date=August 2008

On August 20, 2008, Alvarez was sentenced to eleven consecutive life prison terms. [cite news| url=http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-metrolink21-2008aug21,0,680687.story| title=Metrolink killer is sentenced to 11 life terms in prison| work=Los Angeles Times| author=Simmons, Ann M.| date=2008-08-21| accessdate=2008-08-21| ]

Reaction

The train wreck called intense attention to the train configuration. Many commuter trains are pushed from the back by the locomotive, including Metrolink trains returning to Los Angeles Union Station; in a "pusher configuration", the first car is a special passenger car with controls for an engineer at the end (sometimes referred to as the "cab car" [cite web |author= SCRRA|url= http://209.79.237.36/about/Intranet/equipment.asp|title= The Inside Line/Equipment|accessdate= 2008-09-12|publisher= SCRRA] ). The rear-pushed configuration eliminates elaborate turnaround maneuvers and facilities to reverse a train's direction. There was severe criticism that this rear-pushed configuration made the accident worse: many people claimed that if the heavier engine were ahead of the passenger cars, the train would not have jackknifed and cause the second train to derail. This situation is similar to the Selby and Polmont rail crashes in the United Kingdom.

Immediately following the accident, Metrolink temporarily roped off the first cars in all of their trains; passengers sat starting in the second car. Metrolink gradually modified this policy, and as of 2007, the line permits passengers to sit in a portion the first car when in "push mode." Seating is not permitted in a roped-off forwardmost section of the first car just behind the engineer's cab.

The incident has inspired a few television series episodes. A May 2005 episode of "Law & Order" titled "Locomotion" featured a train that hit an SUV and the subsequent investigation. [cite web| url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0629331/| work=IMDB| title="Law & Order": Locomotion (2005)| ] A June 2005 episode of "Strong Medicine" contained a storyline that referenced the train wreck.

Casualties

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.

Fatalities in this accident were:
* Manuel Alcala, 51, West Hills, Los Angeles
* Julia Bennett, 44, Simi Valley
* Alfonso Caballero, 62, Winnetka, Los Angeles
* Elizabeth Hill, 62, Van Nuys, Los Angeles
* Henry Kilinski, 39, Orange
* Scott McKeown, 42, Moorpark
* Thomas Ormiston, 58, Northridge, Los Angeles (a conductor on one of the Metrolink trains)
* William Parent, 53, Canoga Park, Los Angeles
* Leonard Romero, 53, Rancho Cucamonga
* Deputy James Tutino (Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department), 47, Simi Valley
* Don Wiley, 58, Simi Valley

In remembrance of the accident, all Metrolink train engineers were asked to sound their trains' horns at 12:01 Pacific Time, February 2 2005, and the former Control Point Metro (milepost 3.3 on the Metrolink River Subdivision) was renamed Control Point Ormiston in memory of the conductor who was killed instantly.

References

* AP, " [http://www.ble.org/pr/news/headline.asp?id=12843 Man may have caused Metrolink crash for wife] ". Retrieved February 18 2005.
* AP, " [http://www.ble.org/pr/news/headline.asp?id=12821 Man pleads innocent in Calif. train wreck] ". Retrieved February 16 2005.
* BBC News, " [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4214407.stm LA suicide crash 'spawns copycat'] ". Retrieved January 28 2005.
* Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, " [http://www.ble.org/pr/news/newsflash.asp?id=4071 Metrolink accident kills 11; BLET Safety Task Force to help investigate] ". Retrieved February 1 2005.
* Bronstad, Amanda; "Los Angeles Business Journal", " [http://www.labusinessjournal.com/article.asp?aID=65943305.9467258.1094236.6631607.3804942.607&aID2=84163 SUV driver's arraignment delayed in train accident case] ". Retrieved January 28 2005.
* CBS/AP, " [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/26/national/main669449.shtml Parked car caused train wreck] ". Retrieved January 26 2005.
* CBS/AP, " [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/26/national/main669449.shtm Suspect Held In Deadly Train Wreck] ". Retrieved January 27 2005.
* Gonzalez, Maria, and Keating, Jessica; Ventura County Star, " [http://www3.knoxnews.com/kns/home/article/0,1406,KNS_343_3501777,00.html 11 killed amid Metrolink 'chaos'] ". Retrieved January 27 2005.
* Gorman, Steve; Reuters, " [http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=DUOKPQU4UQLYACRBAEOCFEY?type=topNews&storyID=7441117 Ten die in LA train crash; Murder charge planned] ". Retrieved January 26 2005.
* Liu, Caitlin, and Torrejon, Veronica; Los Angeles Times, " [http://www.ble.org/pr/news/headline.asp?id=12642 Train service is fully restored] ". Retrieved February 1 2005.
* Molloy, Tim; Associated Press, " [http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20050126-1234-wst-trainderail.html Suicide try triggers California commuter rail tragedy, police say] ". Retrieved January 26 2005.
* Michael Muskal and Jesus Sanchez; Los Angeles Times, " [http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-012605crash_lat,0,6086765.story?coll=la-home-headlines Man Faces Charges in Metrolink Collision] ". Retrieved 16:30 January 26 2005 UTC.
* NBC4, " [http://www.nbc4.tv/traffic/4156197/detail.html Metrolink train operators to honor fallen conductor] ". Retrieved February 3 2005.
* Serjeant, Jill; Reuters, " [http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=7456170 Murder charges for Calif. man over train wreck] ". Retrieved January 27 2005.
* Southern California Regional Rail Authority, Metrolink Timetable No. 4 (effective July 3 2005), page RV-1.
* Trains News Wire, " [http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/005/701nhrqn.asp 10 killed, hundreds injured after parked vehicle on tracks causes derailment of two Metrolink commuter trains] ". Retrieved 12:00 January 27 2005 UTC.
* Trains News Wire (August 29 2005), " [http://www.trains.com/content/dynamic/articles/000/000/006/135qivxy.asp? Prosecutors to seek death penalty for derailment suspect] ". Retrieved August 30 2005.
* Valencia-Martinez, Angie, and Boghossian, Naush; Los Angeles Daily News, " [http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200%257E20954%257E2675951,00.html Grief spreads into Ventura County] ". Retrieved January 27 2005.
* Various; Wikinews, "". Revised 17:16 January 26 2005 UTC.
* Lead Counsel for Plantiffs, Jerome Ringler, " [http://www.rkallp.com/metrolink-disaster-lawyers.html Message for Victims of Chatsworth Metrolink Disaster] ". Retrieved September 25 2008.

ee also

*Ufton Nervet rail crash – A rail crash in the UK in November 2004 with similar circumstances.
*2008 Chatsworth train collision – a subsequent Metrolink crash involving a freight train.

External links

wikinewshas
more information on this event
*
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* [http://www.metrolinktrains.com/news_update/detail.php?news_id=0ed4a3 Metrolink website news update on the collision]
* [http://www.ntsb.gov/Pressrel/2005/050126.htm NTSB launches team to commuter train collision in California]
* [http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-012705a1crash-g,1,3498530.graphic?ctrack=2&cset=true "How it happened" graphic] (Los Angeles Times)
* [http://community.theolympian.com/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album190 Photos]
* [http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/latrain/caalvarez12705cmp.html Amended Felony Complaint: People of the State of California v. Juan Manuel Alvarez]