Light-Rail Train Derails in Sacramento, Injuring 17

A light-rail train that derailed downtown on Tuesday and sent 17 people to hospitals was the worst accident in the Sacramento rail system’s 9-year history, transit officials said.

The injured were taken to hospitals for treatment of minor injuries, including neck and wrist sprains, according to authorities.

The cause appeared to be a combination of a rail switching malfunction and possibly human error, officials said.

The tracks reopened Wednesday in time for the morning commute.

The Sacramento Regional Transit District’s two-car train derailed, but remained upright, as it was westbound at about 25 mph near 16th and Q streets Tuesday.

Many of the 50 passengers were bounced out of their seats and into the aisles.

“We came to an abrupt stop,” said passenger Cardell Peyton, 30. “I tried to grab a little boy and I went flying. I fell to the floor and people were screaming and stuff. People were hysterical. It happened so fast.”

It was the light-rail system’s worst accident in terms of the number of injuries, said transit spokesman Mike Wiley.

Shortly before the derailment, the train’s operator, whom officials declined to identify, had stopped the train when he saw a red light flashing along the tracks. The light apparently was flashing because the switch in the rails was not aligned properly.

The operator of the train alerted his superiors about the warning light, officials said. He was told to proceed toward downtown with caution.

The train derailed when it hit the switch, which was not aligned properly.

“To run through a switch not aligned properly, that should not have happened,” Wiley said.

The operator was tested for drug and alcohol use, but the results of the tests won’t be known for several days.