MetroLink derailed by suicidal idiot

[Jetrock]

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20050126-1509-trainderail.html

10 dead, 100+ injured, because some choom decides to kill himself by parking his SUV in front of a MetroLink train--and then jumps out at the last minute.

I wi***his fellow the best of luck in his next suicide attempt...hopefully he won't take anyone else with him,

[SilverSpike]

What a horrible story, I pray for the victims, the injured, and families of both. I hope the guy responsible get what he deserves.

- Ryan

[trolleyboy]

[#ditto]I'm with you jet hopefully since he left what's left of his SUV at the seen(assuming it's not stolen) then they will catch up with him.This pshyco needs some real help and then needs to do some real time for this.Rail accidents are bad enough when there an accident something like this that's preventable should never happen. TB

[twhite]

They caught him AT the scene, Trolleyboy, so at least he's off the streets. 10 counts of murder, so far. The train is all over the place, looking at the photos, I'm surprised that it was only 10 people killed. Seems he was despondent over breaking up with his girlfriend, or something like that. I'm a fifth-generation Californian (folks came right after the 1849 Gold Rush) and I'm often kidded about California being the land where the Fruits and the Nuts come from. Bullcrap! It's where they're all moving TO!
Tom [banghead]

[Leon Silverman]

Jetrock:
The newspaper accounts I have seen indicated that the SUV was left BETWEEN THE TRACKS. This caused the train to derail and collide with a train on an adjacent track. I wonder if equipping locomotives with cowcatchers would have made any difference.
This guy will probably be judged insane, but I think he should be permanently institutionalized like Charles Manson.

[Anonymous]

He's also a drug abuser too....they are checking to see if he was under the influence of drugs....
He should be imprisoned for life without soap on a rope.....if he thinks he has it so bad, wait till he meets his new "girlfriends" at the prison!

[cwclark]

saw it on the news..it was three trains involved...one derailed by the nut on wheels who happened to park in a really bad spot which in turn, hit an oncoming freight train on another track, and then one of the cars as it derailed went across another set of tracks and knocked another car off the tracks from yet another commuter train on a third set of tracks....horrible (and really unavoidable) accident.!...and all because some nut case thought he was having a bad day...don't think he's gonna see the light of day for sometime...all we can do is pray for all involved and hope justice is served...chuck

[jsoderq]

Gentlemen Please get your facts straight when you post on a very serious incident like this. The UP train was M/W and not frieght and was not moving or even occupied at the time . Also please leave the "punishment" to the proper authorities

[cwclark]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jsoderq

Gentlemen Please get your facts straight when you post on a very serious incident like this. The UP train was M/W and not frieght and was not moving or even occupied at the time . Also please leave the "punishment" to the proper authorities

i explained this as it was explained to me by peter jennings on the abc news last night...if anyone needs to get their facts straight you may want to speak to the one's "telling the news stories"....Chuck

[twhite]

The local paper ran a pretty good-sized story on the accident this morning. The commuter train that struck the SUV was being 'pushed' by the locomotive, so it was one of the cars that hit the truck, derailing and then slamming into the UP MW locomotive, then the cars derailed across the third track and were hit by a southbound commuter train. The man responsible has a history of drug abuse, and was despondent over a court order to keep away from his wife. He'd already tried to slit his wrists and stab himself in the chest--according to the news reports--when he parked the SUV on the tracks and decided to end it all. Then just as the train came, he changed his mind, but by that time the SUV was stuck on the tracks, and he just leaped out and ran away. Unfortunately, 'suicide by train' is becoming more prevalent today, but this one just takes the bloody cake, doesn't it? If there's any justice at all, the court will laugh at whatever 'insanity' defense the guy comes up with and send him to Folsom or San Quentin so he can play 'drop the soap' in the showers with all of his new girlfriends.
Tom

[trolleyboy]

I think whatever the series of events this is an absoulutly horrible storey and a despicable act by one very ubstable individual. Unfortunatly suicide by train is on the rise I can remember at least 5 or 6 in the last ten months along toronto's Go transit lines at least no derailments so far it's just people liying down on the tracks but still an awfull tradgedy no matter how it's happened.lets just hope justice is done and that with support and a lot of prayers the victim's families can get their lives moving forward again. Rob

[Anonymous]

Our local RR club was once visited by a man who was either a current (then) or former engineer with Southern. Someone asked him about grade crossing accidents and how the engineers felt about it. His reply was that once the brakes have been set, the engineers have a front row seat to disaster and no one is ever quite the same again.
Our prayers are with all involved.