DEADLY DERAILMENT TRAIN HITS TRUCK AT BURBANK CROSSING.Byline: Dana Bartholomew and Susan Abram Staff Writers BURBANK - A Metrolink train carrying morning commuters smashed into a utility truck and derailed Monday, killing the motorist in the fiery explosion and injuring 32 train passengers and crew members. Metrolink train No. 210, heading from Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, to Union Station, hit the three-ton truck that - in spite of lowered crossing gates and flashing signals at the Buena Vista Street crossing near San Fernando Road San Fernando Road is a major street in the city and county of Los Angeles. It starts off in Castaic as The Old Road, passing through Santa Clarita and the Newhall Pass, where upon its intersection with Sierra Highway near the junction of the Golden State (I-5) and the - turned onto the track in front of the train about 9:30 a.m. The vehicle exploded and caught fire as it was dragged 1,000 feet, scattering debris onto the nearby Golden State Freeway The Golden State Freeway is a north-south freeway running through Kern County and Los Angeles County, California. Originally built as U.S. Highway 99, it was re-signed as Interstate 5 in 1964. . The 450-ton train jumped the tracks, and two of the four cars overturned. Three retired or off-duty firefighters who were nearby rushed to help passengers get out of the toppled and derailed cars. Officials said two crew members and 30 passengers were injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. , eight seriously enough to be hospitalized. ``I heard a sound under the train. We all got scared; we went under our seats. We saw the fire on either side,'' said Susan Esquivel, 22, who boarded the southbound south·bound adj. Going toward the south. southbound Adjective going towards the south Adj. 1. train at the San Fernando/Sylmar station. After the crash, she crawled out a window with the help of firefighters. ``I thought we were all going to die.'' The truck is owned by Nawolo Inc. of El Segundo El Segundo (ĕl sēgŭn`dō), industrial city (1990 pop. 15,223), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1917. Its products include navigation and computer systems, aircraft parts, office machines, telephone apparatus, and . The identity of its driver was not released, but Burbank police and fire officials said he was responsible for the collision. ``The accident was caused by the train hitting the truck in the intersection,'' said Burbank Fire Chief Dave Starr. ``It's important to recognize how fortunate we are ... We must recognize how blessed we are today.'' Witnesses said the driver made a left turn across the tracks from San Fernando San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. to Buena Vista and had either tried to beat the train or got caught between the gates. Motorist Tanya Aguilar was waiting at the intersection when she saw the crossing lights flash and heard its bell. At least one car rushed the gate before the truck pulled in front of the train. ``I started honking at him. The train was obviously coming,'' said Aguilar, 23, of Burbank. ``I started screaming, Oh, my God, Oh, my God ... Stop, stop! ``He knew the train was coming. The gates were completely down. It exploded right away. It was awful - and the cab was on fire going down (the tracks) with the train.'' Tony Gonzalez Tony Gonzalez can refer to:
attentiveness, heed, regard to the signal - something that nearby residents said has occurred several times since it was moved back from the tracks about nine months ago. ``He was looking down; he looked up and saw that the light had changed,'' said Gonzalez, 25, of Burbank, who rushed to assist injured passengers. ``The signal was already down. The train just hit him. He was already in there.'' Other witnesses said the driver was more deliberate. ``He drove right through the gate,'' said Janice Stanley, 53, of Burbank. ``He just didn't hesitate. Maybe he turned, stepped on the gas, and didn't see the gate coming down.'' Burbank police said the rail signal was working properly at the time of the crash. ``We don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. if he (the driver) stalled on the tracks, or what happened,'' said Burbank police Sgt. John Dilabert. The train, which averaged more than 90 passengers a day during December, was carrying 58 passengers and two crew members Monday morning. The crash is being investigated by local agencies, as well as the National Transportation Safety Administration. Metrolink officials said each locomotive contains a ``black box'' that records the train's speed, braking capacity, horn usage and other data needed to assist in an investigation. Passengers said they were thrown forward as the front car toppled and skidded sideways and a second car turned over beside the tracks. A third car piggy-backed on the car lying across the tracks. The three most seriously injured passengers were a 68-year-old woman with back and chest pain, a 48-year-old woman with a possible spinal cord injury Spinal Cord Injury Definition Spinal cord injury is damage to the spinal cord that causes loss of sensation and motor control. Description Approximately 10,000 new spinal cord injuries (SCIs) occur each year in the United States. , and a 35-year-old woman with a broken arm. All three were taken to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Providence Holy Cross Medical Center is a hospital in Mission Hills, California, USA. The hospital has 254 beds, and is part of Providence Health & Services. History in Mission Hills. Ryan Schatz, 26, of Valencia was in the second car when it tipped over on its left side, causing him to fall. ``I heard a loud noise,'' he said. ``The next thing I knew we were jostled around. There was a ball of fire; we were on our side ... I knew it wasn't good. Some people were screaming, yelling. Others were really helpful.'' Traffic on San Fernando and Buena Vista was shut down for most of the day as railroad officials scrambled to restore Metrolink service by day's end. Regular service was expected to resume when the first train leaves the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley at 4:30 a.m. today. Three retired or off-duty firefighters in the vicinity of the train derailment derailment /de·rail·ment/ (de-ral´ment) disordered thought or speech characteristic of schizophrenia and marked by constant jumping from one topic to another before the first is fully realized. were hailed as heroes for promptly rushing into the wreckage to assist passengers and crew. Stan Horst, 47, of Acton, a paramedic par·a·med·ic n. A person who is trained to give emergency medical treatment or assist medical professionals. paramedic for the Los Angeles Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), also known as the Los Angeles City Fire Department to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. It is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles. , said he grabbed a first aid kit and immediately rushed into a toppled car, then scrambled into another car to bandage bandage /ban·dage/ (ban´daj) 1. a strip or roll of gauze or other material for wrapping or binding a body part. 2. to cover by wrapping with such material. injured passengers. Jack Mitchell Jack Mitchell may refer to:
``It looked like he was thrown out of his compartment,'' said Mitchell, who retired two months ago. ``He felt terrible, because he was the engineer on the rig. Scared the daylights out of him.'' Charles ``Chick'' Mokracek, a Los Angeles Fire Department engineer who used to work with Mitchell, came to assist from the other side of the wreck. ``Lots of people, screaming, crying, in pain'' was what he found, Mokracek said. ``We just said, 'We're here to help; try and keep calm.' I've been a fireman for 30 years and we take it as part of the job.'' Metrolink trains have killed 64 people - 39 pedestrians and 25 people in vehicles - since the commuter line started in 1992 with just a dozen trains in three counties, officials said. ``They all have one thing in common - those individuals were on railroad tracks where they shouldn't have been,'' said Metrolink spokesman Francisco Oaxaca. ``It can sound a little strange, but a train doesn't go and seek people out. Trains only operate in a fixed area. ``One of our constant efforts is to try to educate about staying away from railroad tracks and why.'' Just nine months ago, a freight train plowed head-on into a Metrolink train during morning rush hour in Placentia, killing three passengers and injuring at least 260. Monday's incident was most severe the train line has ever seen involving a vehicle, Oaxaca said. ``In terms of the human costs, clearly Placentia was a much worse incident - there were quite a few more injuries. We had a couple of people who lost their lives,'' said Oaxaca. ``In terms of a vehicle, this one today was clearly the most significant in our history,'' he said. Staff Writer Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report. CAPTION(S): 6 photos, 2 boxes, map Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color -- ran in Valley edition only) Two passenger cars from a Metrolink train overturned Monday and a third jumped partially atop one of the fallen cars when a truck pulled in front of the train in a Burbank intersection. Passengers, including the woman at left, were shaken up, and a few were seriously injured. Lee Celano/Associated Press Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer (3 -- color -- ran in Valley edition only) A firefighter looks over the burned wreckage of a truck that was hit by a Metrolink train Monday at a Burbank intersection. (4 -- color -- ran in Valley edition only) Firefighters investigate the scene. Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer (5 -- color -- ran in Valley edition only) A firefighter helps passengers on the train, shaken up when cars derailed and overturned, to safety. (6 -- color -- ran in Valley edition only) Burbank police examine the wheeled undercarriage of one of the railroad cars, ripped away by impact. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News Box: (1 -- ran in Valley edition only) METROLINK CRASH Daily News Research Warren Huskey/Staff Artist (2 -- ran in Valley edition only) TRAIN WRECKS train wreck Medtalk A popular term for a multiproblem Pt in critical condition Federal Railroad Administration The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) was created in 1966 as a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation to promote rail transportation and safety. The FRA is one of 10 agencies within the Department of Transportation concerned with intermodal transportation. Map: (ran in Valley edition only) Burbank |
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