South Bay : Inglewood to Honor Train Wreck Rescuer

The Inglewood City Council will honor hometown hero Darryl Taylor, an Inglewood resident who was a crew member aboard the Amtrak Sunset Limited train that was derailed in the Arizona desert last month.

Taylor, 29, an Amtrak chef, was sent flying through the air and knocked unconscious for a time by the impact of the crash. Although suffering from a concussion, Taylor managed to join other crew members in rescuing trapped passengers. “I was hurt, but my adrenaline was flowing, and I had to help,” said Taylor. “Some of us dropped down into the cars and tied sheets around the injured. Then we pulled them up through the windows.”

Taylor says the crew rescued at least 70 people that way. The one who could not be saved was Mitchell Bates, 41, a sleeping car attendant based in Los Angeles and a close friend of Taylor. At least 78 people were injured on tracks that authorities said were sabotaged by a group calling itself the Sons of Gestapo.

The City Council will present a commendation to Taylor during its meeting at 7 tonight at Inglewood City Hall. Assistant City Manager Darryl Brown said the city wanted to do something for Taylor sooner, but he was in an Arizona hospital recovering from injuries.

“Now that he’s back,” Brown said, “we want everyone in Inglewood to join us in celebrating our own local hero.”