Metrolink Train Service Resumes After Accident
Metrolink train service between San Bernardino and Los Angeles resumed Wednesday morning after workers repaired a section of rail in Baldwin Park closed by a collision between a big-rig truck and a packed commuter train, officials said.
The out-of-control truck skidded down an embankment of the westbound San Bernardino Freeway and onto the Metrolink tracks Tuesday afternoon. Witnesses pulled the driver, Raymond E. Shoppell, 43, from the cabin moments before the 450-ton train slammed into the rig’s cab, authorities said. None of the 450 passengers were injured.
Metrolink crews, aided by a giant crane, “re-railed” the train by 11:15 p.m. Tuesday night and also managed to straighten the rails rather than replace them.
“We’re back on track,” said Peter Hidalgo, Metrolink spokesman. “The first train rolled through there at 5:20 a.m. as usual.” He said there was no decrease in ridership Thursday.
A California Highway Patrol spokesman said the agency believes the truck driver fell asleep at the wheel but that it appears he will not face charges. Shoppell was released from the hospital Thursday after treatment for a broken foot.
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