VICTIMS, HEROES REMEMBERED TRAIN CRASH MEMORIAL UNVEILED.Byline: SUE DOYLE and EUGENE TONG Staff Writers ATWATER VILLAGE -- Images of the tragic train crash -- the confusion, blood and cries -- flooded Willa Robinson's thoughts Sunday during a memorial ceremony held just steps from the tracks where 11 people died. Robinson and more than 100 others were hurt in the Jan. 27, 2005, crash near the border of Atwater Village and Glendale -- the worst disaster in Metrolink's history. The train, packed with early morning commuters, plowed into a sport-utility vehicle sport-u·til·i·ty vehicle n. Abbr. SUV A four-wheel-drive vehicle with a roomy body, designed for off-road travel. left on the tracks by a suicidal man. The southbound passenger train derailed and careened into a northbound train and a parked freight train. Sunday's event celebrated the lives of the dead, the injured and the heroes who tried to save them. City officials unveiled a memorial site and plaque, triggering painful reminders of the morbid day that still haunts the survivors. ``Every morning when I wake up, I am thankful to be alive. I could have been one of the 11,'' said Robinson, of Valencia, weeping quietly. ``It certainly has been life-changing. It's something I'll live with for the rest of my life.'' About 100 residents and city officials gathered for Sunday's dedication ceremony, across the street from the Costco where employees, police and firefighters had tirelessly pulled people from the train wreckage and got them to help on the dark and drizzly day. 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. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Antonio Ramon Villaraigosa (born Antonio (Tony) Ramon Villar, Jr. on January 23, 1953) is the mayor of Los Angeles, California. He is the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since Cristobal Aguilar in 1872. said residents should give back to the area with the same selfless manner witnessed that day, saying it's that same generous spirit that epitomizes the meaning of a village. Purchased with help from the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council and Los Angeles City Council  The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. , the $15,000 monument rests in front of a self-storage facility, at the corner of Los Feliz Boulevard and Seneca Avenue. Crowded in the front rows of the ceremony sat family and friends of Scott McKeown, a 42-year-old from Moorpark who died in the crash. The train enthusiast, who even belonged to the Glendale Model Railroad Club, always sat in the front car on his way to work. After the crash, he was pulled from that favorite train car and later died from massive internal injuries. McKeown's wife, Susan, said she was glad a place to remember her husband and others now exists. But even driving to the area on Sunday brought back the grief and difficult memories of a day that changed her life forever. ``It opens it up again like it happened yesterday,'' she said. Juan Manuel Several Spanish and Portuguese princes wore this name:
suicide attempt, suicide bid n → tentative f de suicide , pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of capital murder and is still awaiting trial. The next hearing is scheduled Feb.9. Meanwhile, the MTA (1) (Message Transfer Agent or Mail Transfer Agent) The store and forward part of a messaging system. See messaging system. (2) See M Technology Association. 1. (messaging) MTA - Message Transfer Agent. and the Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, Regional Rail Authority, which operates Metrolink, are facing civil lawsuits from more than 100 crash victims seeking compensation. sue.doyle(at)dailynews.com (818)713-3746 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Family members of those killed in the Jan. 27, 2005, train crash near the border of Atwater Village and Glendale pay their respects at a ceremony for the victims on Sunday. Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer |
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