Full coverage of September 2008 Metrolink crash and aftermath


A Metrolink crash survivor speaks
Photography and audio by Liz O. Baylen, Produced by Bryan Chan, Additional photography by Lawrence K. Ho, Brian Vander Brug and Francine Orr
Judy Reel chooses carefully where she sits as she returns to riding the rails.

Chatsworth train crash survivor has a long road back
By Catherine Saillant
Racheal Mofya, who was severely injured in the 2008 train crash, faces many months of mental and physical rehabilitation. She may never fully recover.
April 15, 2009

By Rich Connell
Denise Tyrrell will work for the state Public Utilities Commission. She quit her Metrolink job after being criticized for saying early on that the commuter train had run a red light.
March 21, 2009

Reports of negligence fuel pain after Metrolink crash
By Rich Connell
Disclosures may help increase compensation awards, experts say. Metrolink and Connex, the company that employed the engineer, are suing each other over which bears liability.
March 16, 2009

Metrolink jettisons 2 managers
By Rich Connell
The employees of contractor Connex were supervisors of the engineer involved in the deadly Chatsworth crash.
March 6, 2009

By Robert J. Lopez Dan Weikel
Officials criticize a 'safety system that existed only on paper,' and say cellphone use and other rule violations observed in the Chatsworth Metrolink crash appear to be only the tip of the iceberg.
March 4, 2009

Metrolink engineer let unauthorized 'rail enthusiasts' control train
By Robert J. Lopez and Rich Connell
Federal hearing on deadly Chatsworth crash reveals engineer had previously been reprimanded for on-duty cellphone use, and that he sent teen a text message saying 'ur gonna run the locomotive.'
March 3, 2009

By Rich Connell and Robert J. Lopez
As a federal hearing into the Chatsworth disaster is set to begin, recent red-light signal violations have raised concerns.
March 2, 2009

Key details in Metrolink crash probe to emerge at public hearing
By Robert J. Lopez and Rich Connell
Witnesses in the inquiry about the Chatsworth collision will testify in Washington next month about the system's enforcement of safety procedures.
February 11, 2009

By Robert J. Lopez and Rich Connell
The attorney for the only surviving crew member in the deadly Chatsworth crash says his client told NTSB investigators that he had complained to a supervisor about it.
February 6, 2009

By Steve Hymon
A closed-door session by board members to discuss David Solow's status does not end in termination. The chief has been criticized since the deadly train collision in Chatsworth.
January 10, 2009

By Steve Hymon
Agency needs to do more to monitor employees and keep board members informed, according to experts studying last year's fatal crash.
January 8, 2009

Management knew about train engineer's texting, lawyers say
By Robert J. Lopez and Steve Hymon
An employee of Metrolink contractor Connex Railroad had allegedly complained about Robert M. Sanchez's cellphone use on the job before the deadly Sept. 12 crash in Chatsworth.
January 7, 2009

By Robert J. Lopez and Rich Connell
A yellow light before the Chatsworth train station warns of a red light after the station. Experts say that sequence leaves too much time to forget and too many distractions for crew members.
December 26, 2008

By Rich Connell
The onboard surveillance is intended to enforce safety rules. But the proposal draws criticism from employees and skepticism from California Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
December 25, 2008

By Ari B. Bloomekatz
The mother of Michael Hammersley alleges negligence. Four who were injured also file suits.
December 24, 2008

By Rich Connell and Robert J. Lopez
Chatsworth crash review stresses the need for a greater emphasis on safety.
December 13, 2008

Chatsworth crash's roots lie 20 years in Metrolink's past
By Ted Rohrlich
The commuter line's founders gambled that the line could operate without an automatic braking system, interviews with safety experts and documents show.
December 12, 2008

Crash thrusts Metrolink chief into the unwelcome limelight
By Jeff Gottlieb
David R. Solow has been widely criticized since the wreck that killed 25 and injured 135.
December 11, 2008

By Robert J. Lopez and Rich Connell
The conductor and others contradict the preliminary findings of the National Transportation Safety Board, which has said the commuter train ran a red light just before colliding with a freight train.
December 5, 2008

By Steve Hymon and Molly Hennessy-Fiske
Engineer Robert M. Sanchez's cause of death is listed as massive trauma injuries from the accident, which killed 25 people
December 4, 2008

By Rich Connell and Robert J. Lopez
Investigators find the station's red signal was not as clear as the yellow and green ones, and continue probing whether the engineer and conductor followed communication rules.
December 3, 2008

By Robert J. Lopez and Rich Connell
After Chatsworth and Rialto crashes, new rule requires trains to cut speed when alerted that light may be red. Sen. Dianne Feinstein calls for faster approvals for new collision avoidance technology.
November 25, 2008

Metrolink train in Rialto crash ran red light, inquiry finds
By Robert J. Lopez, Rich Connell and Steve Hymon
'But we don't know why,' an investigator says. The collision injured five people Thursday.
November 22, 2008

By Steve Hymon, Robert J. Lopez and Jeff Gottlieb
Five passengers are injured as the eastbound commuter train hits the end of a westbound, 102-car freight train pulling onto a siding. The crash raises new rail safety concerns.
November 21, 2008

By Steve Hymon
Some transit agencies have one or more public positions on their governing boards. In Metrolink's case, not one board member rides the rails regularly.
November 4, 2008

By Rich Connell
The commuter rail line takes legal action against the company that provides the crews that work on its trains in the wake of the deadly Chatsworth crash.
October 24, 2008

11-member panel named to study Metrolink safety
By Jeff Gottlieb
The group was formed in response to the Chatsworth crash that killed 25 people. A report on improving operations is due in 60 days.
October 11, 2008

Freight railroads pledge to install advanced safety measures by 2012
By Jennifer Oldham
Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific, which share tracks with Metrolink, say the system's complexity may prevent a complete rollout by that date, however.
October 9, 2008

By Steve Hymon
Veolia Transportation executives say the company is 'stricken with grief' over the collision that killed 25. They decline comment on specifics, citing the continuing investigation.
October 7, 2008

By Catherine Saillant
Fate brought Racheal Mofya to the U.S. to further her goals - and put her on the commuter train that collided with a freight. She has been hospitalized, unconscious, ever since.
October 07, 2008

By Carol J. Williams
State bar officials cite possible professional sanctions, but the aggressive attorneys note that time is limited and the stakes are expected to be very high.
October 5, 2008

Witnesses say light was green just before Metrolink train crashed
By Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Rich Connell and Robert J. Lopez
Three observers who were at the Chatsworth station -- a security guard and two train enthusiasts -- insist that the engineer had a green light.
October 4, 2008

By Steve Hymon and Robert J. Lopez, Rich Connell
In a preliminary finding, the NTSB says Robert M. Sanchez sent a message 22 seconds before his train hit a freight train in Chatsworth. Sanchez received or sent 57 messages while on duty Sept. 12.
October 2, 2008

By Jeff Gottlieb
Veolia, the firm that employed the engineer in the Chatsworth crash, has been fined millions in O.C. and Australia.
September 29, 2008

By Jeff Gottlieb
Relief engineers will ride shotgun on some routes, in a move intended as an interim safety measure.
September 27, 2008

By Steve Hymon
David. R. Solow tells the MTA board that there are obstacles to adding automatic train stop technology. But the panel is trying to find $5 million to use toward securing braking devices.
September 26, 2008

By Patrick McGreevy
The firm's workers include engineers for the rail line and public transit bus drivers. The rule change was unsuccessful and the company disputes whether it would've applied to engineers.
September 20, 2008

By Robert J. Lopez
'It's about gathering facts and only facts,' says the lead investigator into the Sept. 12 collision in Chatsworth, which killed 25 people.
September 20, 2008

By Steve Hymon
Many services are contracted out and more than half its track is shared with freight trains. Even some board members say they lack expertise on some of the problems the system faces.
September 20, 2008

By Cara Mia Dimassa
Officer Spree DeSha is remembered for her unwavering commitment to the department. Mayor Villaraigosa and City Council members are among the attendees.
September 19, 2008

By Robert J. Lopez and Dan Weikel, Rich Connell
Robert Sanchez began work Friday before dawn, took a midday break and was supposed to have finished at 9 p.m. Experts say such schedules can lead to fatigue, and thereby threaten safety.
September 18, 2008

Friends and family pay final tribute to Howard Barry Pompel
By Ann M. Simmons
The Metrolink crash victim was remembered as 'a remarkable person' who touched many lives.
September 18, 2008

Despite his own injuries, priest gave last rites to crash victims
By Anna Gorman
The Rev. Donald Ashman says he knows he was on the train and survived so he could pray for the dead. 'I was where God intended me to be,' he says.
September 18, 2008

By David Kelly and Sam Quinones
Those who knew him say he had a passion for trains and Italian greyhounds. But his companion killed himself in 2003 and he had run-ins with the law.
September 17, 2008

Metrolink balked at safety upgrade's cost
By Robert J. Lopez and Dan Weikel
Agency chief called in 2007 for 'flexibility' to choose train controls. Feinstein and Boxer introduce a bill to require railroads to install updated safety systems.
September 17, 2008

Sandy Banks
Viewers shared Denise Tyrrell’s pain after the crash. Then she stepped out on a limb to assign blame.
September 16, 2008

By Carol J. Williams and Louis Sahagun
Denise Tyrrell says she spoke out in hopes of rebuilding trust after receiving permission from agency's chief. While some say she went too far, others think board should reconsider her resignation.
September 16, 2008

By Ann M. Simmons and Jennifer Oldham, Steve Hymon
L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa joins riders this morning in Chatsworth. Also, Metrolink's spokeswoman resigns after she is criticized for saying the crash was caused by an engineer's mistake.
September 16, 2008

Sandy Banks
As parents gather around injured adult children and mourn those lost, it's clear: The nest is never truly empty.
September 15, 2008

By Steve Hymon
Only N.J.'s far-busier commuter rail has had more deaths since '99.
September 15, 2008

Metrolink officials say trains crashed after their engineer drove through red light
By Esmeralda Bermudez, Kate Linthicum and Rich Connell
Federal transportation officials say it's too early to determine what caused the crash that has killed at least 25 people and left 135 more injured, 40 of them critically.
September 14, 2008

By Robert J. Lopez, Garrett Therolf and Scott Gold
Veteran firefighters had to face the knowledge that they could not save everyone.
September 14, 2008

By Catherine Saillant and Steve Chawkins
The tight-knit Ventura County city was the next-to-last stop for Metrolink 111. A moment of silence for the dead and injured was observed Saturday at the annual Simi Valley Days festival.
September 14, 2008

Map of crash location

'Total destruction': At least 17 die in head-on Metrolink crash
By Joel Rubin, Ann M. Simmons and Mitchell Landsberg
Commuter train with 225 aboard slams into freight train on winding route in Chatsworth. More than 135 are injured.
September 13, 2008

Previous Metrolink accidents



Interactive graphic: Stopping a train
Interactive Feature
(Flash)




The mail clerk enjoyed time with nieces.

The family man welcomed a disabled foster child into his home.

The Cal State Long Beach freshman was en route to see his girlfriend in Simi Valley. Teachers remember the 2008 valedictorian as an outstanding student.

Chao was returning from a doctor's appointment in L.A. His grandson, 5, was the Cambodia native's joy. The boy "wakes every morning and goes into his room," Chao's son said.

The head counselor at Theodore Roosevelt Middle School in Glendale is remembered by colleagues, students and family as 'an incredibly happy person' who lifted everyone's spirits.

The gourmet cook, who usually rode Metrolink 113, caught the 111 train early to make dinner for his family.

Air traffic manager at Bob Hope Airport was passionate about his career and aviation in general. He was a private pilot and flew a rented plane at least once a month.

Burbank mechanic 'hated to drive and he loved trains,' his wife said. He was riding in the first car of Metrolink train 111 and died at the scene.

Yoga instructor is remembered for his positive nature and for being 'a really giving person.'

He left his job at the Los Angeles City Employees Club an hour early Friday and was killed aboard Metrolink train 111.

The Metrolink crash victim is recalled as a fun-loving father and devoted teacher who lived for his family, his church and his school.

One of the first people pulled from the Metrolink train wreckage, the mother of two was the 'backbone' of her family.

Colleagues and department officials describe Officer DeSha as a solid, serious cop.

She hoped to be a fashion designer and traveled by train twice a week to the Fashion Institute in L.A. Her aunt remembered Maria as "always laughing, smiling. She had such big plans."






Metrolink moves to take over supervision of engineers, conductors in wake of deadly crash
As an outgrowth of the deadly Metrolink crash in Chatsworth last fall, the...
Jun 26, 2009

Metrolink settles with spokeswoman who quit after Chatsworth train crash
Metrolink has agreed to pay a former spokeswoman who resigned after last year’...
May 5, 2009

Metrolink considering fare hikes up to 5.5%
Faced with rising labor and maintenance costs, the Metrolink commuter rail...
Apr 2, 2009

More...

 



Graphic: Fatal train crash
Graphic
September 13, 2008




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