CONTRITE ALVAREZ TAKES STAND CRASH: MAN ON TRIAL SAYS HE DIDN'T BELIEVE ACT WOULD CAUSE DERAILMENT.Byline: Rick Coca Staff Writer Saying he meant no harm when a pair of bungled bun·gle v. bun·gled, bun·gling, bun·gles v.intr. To work or act ineptly or inefficiently. v.tr. To handle badly; botch. See Synonyms at botch. n. early morning suicide attempts suicide attempt, suicide bid n → intento de suicidio suicide attempt, suicide bid n → tentative f de suicide ended in a fatal Glendale commuter train disaster, Juan Manuel Several Spanish and Portuguese princes wore this name:
tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. , adding "that could have been my mom or dad." Taking the witness stand in his own defense, Alvarez repeatedly said he wasn't trying to kill anyone else that day and that he tried desperately to get his SUV off the tracks before the deadly collision. "I feel terrible and I ask for forgiveness," Alvarez said, answering questions from his defense attorney Thomas Kielty. "I believe some of the family members are here today. I'm sorry for what happened. I never meant to hurt your loved ones loved ones npl → seres mpl queridos loved ones npl → proches mpl et amis chers loved ones love npl . That could have been my mom or dad." Eleven people were killed and 180 were injured in the Metrolink train crash Jan. 26, 2005. Prosecutors, who in coming days will get the chance to cross-examine Alvarez, say he deliberately intended to kill people that day. Alvarez is charged with 11 murders and arson. The 29-year-old Compton man could face the death penalty if convicted. What started out as a normal, even hopeful day for Alvarez turned dark after he said he began hearing voices from his then-estranged wife and her imaginary lover. After watering roses early in the morning, Alvarez was on his way to a job interview around 6 a.m. when he heard the voices coming from the back seat of his SUV, he said. "I was a little mad because they were saying, 'Look how stupid he is. He can't even see us,'" Alvarez testified in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Superior Court. He admitted in court Tuesday that he was a methamphetamine methamphetamine (mĕth'ămfĕt`əmēn): see amphetamine; methedrine. user, prone to far-out hallucinations Hallucinations Definition Hallucinations are false or distorted sensory experiences that appear to be real perceptions. These sensory impressions are generated by the mind rather than by any external stimuli, and may be seen, heard, felt, and even at the time of the train collision. After realizing there was nobody in his SUV, Alvarez began thinking about his financial debt and his depression over the dwindling dwin·dle v. dwin·dled, dwin·dling, dwin·dles v.intr. To become gradually less until little remains. v.tr. To cause to dwindle. See Synonyms at decrease. prospects of seeing his two children. At that point, he decided to take his own life, he said. He went to a gas station and poured gasoline into two gallon-size water jugs, then began to look for "a dark and isolated place" to light himself on fire, he testified. He ended up on Alger Street, a small street parallel to the railroad tracks, he said. "I remember grabbing one gallon of gas and pouring it on myself -- on my hair, on my back," he said. "I put it on the car, on the hood, on the top of the car, then I tossed whatever little was left inside of the car." Change of heart But when his back began to itch from the gas, and he became nauseated nau·se·at·ed adj. Affected with nausea. from the fumes fumes odorous gases and other volatile materials; inhalation of irritating fumes causes coughing and, if sufficiently severe, irreversible pulmonary edema. , he concluded that burning himself would be a painful death, he told the jury. "I see the tracks and that's when it came to my mind -- it would be the fastest way for someone to die, to get hit by a train," said Alvarez. He then drove around the train right-of-way and onto the gravel. He drove parallel to the tracks before pulling his car directly onto the tracks, said Alvarez, who also testified that he knew of two people who had been hit and killed by trains -- one in an 18-wheel semitrailer sem·i·trail·er n. A trailer having a set or several sets of wheels at the rear only, with the forward portion being supported by the truck tractor or towing vehicle. -- that didn't subsequently derail de·rail intr. & tr.v. de·railed, de·rail·ing, de·rails 1. To run or cause to run off the rails. 2. . But again, after looking at photos of his children on the dashboard, Alvarez had a change of heart and decided to abandon the suicide plan altogether and try to make his appointment with a prospective employer. "I just thought this is pretty crazy, the whole suicide idea," he said. But when he went back up to his SUV, it wouldn't move, he said. "It was stuck," Alvarez told the jury. "The Jeep wasn't moving. I could just hear grinding -- metal on metal." Growing "a little more desperate" minute by minute, Alvarez said, he tried over and over to get the vehicle off the tracks, including leaving it in reverse while he bounced on the bumper and jammed a rock under one of the tires for traction, he said. He moved away from the vehicle moments before disaster struck. Deadly crash On the dark and rainy morning, pushed by a massive locomotive, Metrolink Train 100, a three-car train heading south from Moorpark, crashed into Alvarez's SUV before derailing and hitting a Union Pacific freight on the next track. As its front toppled to the side, its rear cars smacked into the northbound north·bound adj. Going toward the north. northbound Adjective going towards the north Adj. 1. Metrolink Train 901. Fueled by 5,000 gallons of diesel that spewed out across the crash scene, fire erupted and created a devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. aftermath, with everyday citizens rushing to help police and fire crews rescue survivors. The tragedy created heartache for surviving families and sparked lawsuits over the "push-pull" methods used by Metrolink and others, in which the heavier engine in a train is not always in front. Metrolink officials have argued that the federal government has certified the push-pull method as safe, and it still uses the push-pull method on all trains. Abusive childhood More than five dozen plaintiffs went after Metrolink in civil court. Some settled early, but nearly 60 remain. Born in Los Angeles, Alvarez spent his early childhood in Mexicali, Mexico, where he recounted a difficult childhood Tuesday -- one filled with domestic violence at the hands of an abusive father, which led to several suicide attempts. Legal expert Laurie L. Levenson said Alvarez's testimony could pay off in the end. "If he comes off as someone who did the wrong thing but has some redeeming value, it may save his life," said Levenson, a professor at Loyola Law School Loyola Law School is the law school of Loyola Marymount University, a private Jesuit school in Los Angeles, California. Loyola was established in 1920. Like Loyola University Chicago School of Law and Loyola University New Orleans College of Law (separate and unaffiliated . "It's not a bad idea, it is a calculated risk. ... The jurors might see the humanity in him, and ultimately they will see him not as a defendant but as a person." Alvarez's testimony under questioning from his defense attorney began about 11 a.m. and continued through the afternoon. It will continue this morning at 9:30. Staff Writer Rachel Uranga contributed to this report. rick.coca(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos, map Photo: (1 -- color) Juan Manuel Alvarez parked his SUV on Metrolink tracks on Jan. 26, 2005, then left it there. (2 -- color) In his testimony on the Jan. 26, 2005, Metrolink crash, Juan Manuel Alvarez said that, after nearly lighting himself on fire, he thought being struck by a train would be a quick way to commit suicide Verb 1. commit suicide - kill oneself; "the terminally ill patient committed suicide" kill - cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly; "This man killed several people when he tried to rob a bank"; "The farmer killed a pig for the holidays" . (3 -- color) Los Angeles, Glendale and Burbank firefighters respond to the Jan. 26, 2005, Metrolink train crash in which 11 people died. Juan Manuel Alvarez left his SUV on the tracks in a suicide attempt. Daily News Map: Fatal Metrolink train collision Gregg Miller/Staff Artist |
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