Commuter train derails in Glendale (Update: Crash escalates to criminal probe)

AP ^ | 01/26/05 | AP

[Pikamax]

Commuter train derails in Glendale

Associated Press

GLENDALE, Calif. - A Metrolink commuter train derailed early Wednesday in this Los Angeles suburb, and firefighters were searching through the wreckage.

Television reports showed smoke coming from twisted wreckage at the scene of the crash, where two separate trains could be seen derailed.

The derailment in this Los Angeles suburb was near San Fernando Road and Chevy Chase Boulevard.

[bd476]

Did you see this?

[BurbankKarl]

If I were to speculate...he may not even have a D/L....that may have been an old criminal record, or FI card, or matricula card.

The car reported was not current registration.

[oldleft]

I think I'll leave work early. Traffic will be a mess.

[brytlea]

I thought they found his driver's lisence at the scene. Of course it may have been a fake one. Difficult to know.
I hope we get more info, eventually.
sundero

[BurbankKarl]

Suspect has been booked by Glendale PD

[Sergio]

Hi CedarDave

Metrolink trains going INTO Los Angeles always move backwards. That is to say the engine is at the back. Metrolink trains going OUT of Los Angeles run the normal way with the engine at the front.

Reason is that at Union Station in Los Angeles the tracks end at a dead end. There is no way to get behind the train. When there is an equipment malfunction it is usually the engine, so they always want the engine where it is easily accessible.

This means you always go into LA back-end first and you always leave LA engine first. If the train that hit the Jeep was leaving LA, then it was the CAB car that hit the Jeep and then the UP engine.

Hope I didn't cause more confusion. If so, my apologies.

Best Regards

Sergio

[Petronski]

Wow, 50 minutes seems like an awful long drive unless you have a very specific reason for going there.

Some deeply depressed people use a drive in a car as an escape, taking long meandering drives, wandering to nowhere in particular.

[GOP_1900AD]

I think that locomotive side is outbound from LA, and cab car side is inbound. Another note, on the KCOP website the article mentioned that perhaps the Jeep did not get onto the tracks at a proper grade crossing. Perhaps from the Costco parking lot?

[bd476]

It was the Southbound train from Simi Valley which first hit the Jeep. Then as it pushed the Jeep towards the Northbound train and partially derailed, the Northbound train caught part of the Southbound train.

[brytlea]

I wonder how long before driving the car onto the tracks he did the wrist slashing/chest stabbing.
sundero

[Lijahsbubbe]

Was makin' my way over, thanks. Got alotta catchin' up to do!

Back TTT for me.

[GOP_1900AD]

30ish. Maybe 35.

[Wolfstar]

Help me with directions here.

This photo probably provides the best perspective to answer your question.

North is at the bottom of this photo (obviously, then, south is to the top, east to the left, and west to the right).

The Metrolink train in the middle of the photo was heading outbound from L.A.'s downtown Union Station. The Metrolink train on the right of the photo was going inbound toward L.A. The Union Pacific freight train, the yellow engine of which can be seen to the left of the photo, was stopped while the comuter trains passed.

The middle train is the one that hit the Jeep at an intersection several hundred feet to the south (top of photo) of where it jumped the tracks. When the first car of this train jumped the tracks, it hit the UP engine head on. The car behind the one that hit the UP engine jackknifed to the west, sideswiping the last car of the train going inbound to L.A.

Suggestion: Take a piece of paper. On each edge, write N, S, E, W in the appropriate locations. Then turn the paper upside down so that S is where N was. You are now looking at the same perspective of the photo above. The middle train struck the car and the UP engine. The last car of the train to the right (west) was clipped by the jackknifing middle train.

Hope this helps.

[Petronski]

I know nothing about this particular dude. I was just adding some insight into depression. I haven't had the news on all day.

[GOP_1900AD]

This is a bad deal. I presume that freights are also stopped through the rest of the week, on those lines, as well.

[califamily4W]

Yellow cells over Marina Del Rey/Venice area.

[lainie]

Hi Sergio -- thanks for that information.

I'm still trying to figure out why the suicidal man had enough time to decide, exit his car, and run for safety, but couldn't drive the car off the tracks faster than that.

[CedarDave]

I know they're push/pull mode. Just trying to confirm which one hit the jeep. Both engines appear undamaged, so was it the full train (southbound, cab car first) that hit the jeep?

[BurbankKarl]

Yep....its dumping rain now too.

[A CA Guy]

Horrible