Woman, 76, a Passenger on Train That Hit Truck, Dies

A 76-year-old Newhall passenger on the Metrolink train that collided with a truck in Burbank earlier this month has died, possibly from injuries from the crash, police said Wednesday.

Grace Midgley Kirkness was riding on the commuter train’s Antelope Valley line with a granddaughter Jan. 6 when a stake-bed truck turned into the train’s path, her family said. The collision toppled two train cars, killed the truck driver and injured more than 30 people.

After the crash, paramedics transported Kirkness to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, where she was listed in good condition with hip pain, minor cuts and bruises, hospital spokesman Dan Boyle said. The grandmother of four, who used a wheelchair because of arthritis, joked at the time that she was ready to take a train back home, said her daughter, Margaret Kirkness.

But she was in such pain that her family brought her to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Valencia a week later.

“That’s when they found she had a cracked vertebrae ... and one of her ribs had punctured her lungs and was filling it with blood,” her daughter said.

Grace Kirkness died Tuesday at Newhall Memorial. The official cause of her death is pending an examination by the coroner’s office.

Her son, Ken Kirkness, said the family is preparing for a wrongful-death lawsuit.

According to a statement released Wednesday by Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, Grace Kirkness “was given a thorough examination by physicians. After the exam, it was determined that the patient was in good condition.”