Mtrolink Train Crash: 28 hospitalized; driver involved in custody

A driver is in custody after a Metrolink train headed southbound toward Los Angeles struck a vehicle, possibly a small tractor-trailer, on the tracks in Oxnard. No fatalities were reported, Oxnard police said.

Ventura County Line Train 102 crashed at about 5:40 a.m. near 5th Street and Rice Avenue. The vehicle caught fire after the crash, but the driver managed to flee the scene, Oxnard fire officials said. The driver was located a couple miles down the road unharmed and was taken into custody by Oxnard police, fire officials said.


The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a team to investigate the crash.

Mtrolink Train Crash: 28 hospitalized; driver involved in custody

Before the crash, the train was leaving from the Oxnard station. With two miles of straight tracks, the driver of the train was able to spot the vehicle on the tracks early and pulled the brakes and provided warning signals. Authorities said the train had been going eastbound slower than 79 mph cruising speed.

Upon impact, five cars derailed, including three seen on their side and two upright, fire officials said.

I think people are very lucky here. Had the train been going any faster than the slower speed it was going, I think we'd be seeing fatalities and a lot more injuries. I think we also should commend the fire department. They responded very quickly, got things under control in a timely manner, which helps in a situation such as this, the police got the truck driver who may have caused this accident and tried to take off. The investigation should determine what happened and hopefully we'll have some answers soon.






Longer but contains Q&A with fire department and Amber alert at the last 10 seconds of video.

a reply to: Anyafaj

What the hell is going on with public transit lately?

Collisions, smoke in the subway system in DC.

originally posted by: Xcathdra
a reply to: Anyafaj

What the hell is going on with public transit lately?

Collisions, smoke in the subway system in DC.

In this one, I believe it was a truck on the tracks. I don't know if it was intentional, or not. They haven't released that as of yet. This train did slow down but was unable to stop in time. They were lucky in that they were going slower than their normal speed of 79 mph. I think had they been going that or faster, we'd be seeing a worse tragedy.

Some people run the warning lights and arms and don't seem to care.
I even saw a tagger try to paint a line down the side of a moving Metrolink train.
Only a moron would try to hold a spray can 4 inches from a train going 45+ mph.

I was at one Metrolink station one day watching the train coming to the station and some moron went around the warning arms and the train missed him by only inches.

I ride the Metrolink from Lancaster calif and it goes through a tunnel and i have on a couple trips seen people walking in the tunnel.

I always ride in the back car on Metrolink trains and take a seat with my back in the direction of travel just in case there is a crash.
The route from Lancaster calif is the one the calif high speed rail will use.
And if it ever gets built i see a major crash within 6 months unless they do away with all railroad crossing on the route.

originally posted by: ANNED
Some people run the warning lights and arms and don't seem to care.
I even saw a tagger try to paint a line down the side of a moving Metrolink train.
Only a moron would try to hold a spray can 4 inches from a train going 45+ mph.

I was at one Metrolink station one day watching the train coming to the station and some moron went around the warning arms and the train missed him by only inches.

I ride the Metrolink from Lancaster calif and it goes through a tunnel and i have on a couple trips seen people walking in the tunnel.

I always ride in the back car on Metrolink trains and take a seat with my back in the direction of travel just in case there is a crash.
The route from Lancaster calif is the one the calif high speed rail will use.
And if it ever gets built i see a major crash within 6 months unless they do away with all railroad crossing on the route.

Sadly, this doesn't surprise me. I once saw a small, special needs bus go between the two downed bars to try and beat an oncoming train. I made my daughter grab my pen and write on the front of my crossword book the school bus number and the bus company. Then as soon as I got home, I called the cops to report it, and the bus company said they would investigate the video. If the gate was down, his but was fired. They didn't call me to tell me what happened.

Can't see the entire layout from the pics, but likely a grade crossing setup way too close to the adjacent road. So traffic turning onto one road from the side is likely to get caught on the tracks if something causes them to stop. It might be a situation of a driver seeing it clear, and going to turn on, but then a car comes on from some side street causing him to stop - but then there's also the train, something like that is all it'll take.

I know of an area where I am along a road really bad that way, and I consider it to be piss-poor civil engineering. I'm surprised there aren't more accidents given the way people tend to drive as it is. The only thing I think keeping it from being worse is all those crossings in the area I know have gates and they're timed long before the trains go by.

Of course the driver will get the blame, as "he should know better". But sometimes things are setup to make such failures way more likely. Of course it never gets fixed or it's very rare that it does, as regional governments and railroads never seem to have the money.

originally posted by: pauljs75
Can't see the entire layout from the pics, but likely a grade crossing setup way too close to the adjacent road. So traffic turning onto one road from the side is likely to get caught on the tracks if something causes them to stop. It might be a situation of a driver seeing it clear, and going to turn on, but then a car comes on from some side street causing him to stop - but then there's also the train, something like that is all it'll take.

I know of an area where I am along a road really bad that way, and I consider it to be piss-poor civil engineering. I'm surprised there aren't more accidents given the way people tend to drive as it is. The only thing I think keeping it from being worse is all those crossings in the area I know have gates and they're timed long before the trains go by.

Of course the driver will get the blame, as "he should know better". But sometimes things are setup to make such failures way more likely. Of course it never gets fixed or it's very rare that it does, as regional governments and railroads never seem to have the money.

Actually you're probably right. The driver of the truck has been arrested. He says the truck got stuck on the tracks after he took a wrong turn.

Truck driver arrested on hit and run charge (for running after train hit the truck)

A commuter train bound for Los Angeles derailed before dawn Tuesday in a fiery collision with an abandoned commercial pickup after the truck's driver took a wrong turn and got stuck on the tracks.

There was a loud boom and the screech of brakes before three of the train's five cars toppled over, sending 30 people to hospitals. Four were in critical condition, including the engineer.

The train pushed the truck some 300 feet down the tracks, said Robert Sumwalt of the National Transportation Safety Board.

Lives were likely saved by passenger cars designed to absorb a crash. They were purchased after a deadly collision a decade ago, Metrolink officials said. The four passenger cars remained largely intact, as did the locomotive.

Sanchez-Ramirez, who delivers produce, was driving a pickup with an empty bed pulling a trailer with some welding equipment in it. He told police he tried to turn right at an intersection but turned prematurely and his truck got stuck straddling the rails.

Police said they tested Sanchez-Ramirez for drugs and alcohol but they would not discuss the results.

The crossing where the crash happened has been the scene of many collisions over the years.

This is so sad, God bless them.