Los Angeles Area Train Accident Nation’s Deadliest in 15 Years

Shocking news came out of Southern California over the weekend when it was reported that a train accident near Chatsworth resulted in 25 deaths on Friday afternoon.  Rescue crews worked feverishly through the night on Friday, but were unable to save everyone involved given the extreme severity of the head-on train collision.

Hundreds of people were onboard one of the trains, a Metrolink vessel designed for commuters to avoid the typical rush hour traffic millions of people encounter when depending on their vehicles on the local freeways.  In all, the Metrolink train was carrying an estimated 222 people, as the crash occurred at around 4:30 p.m. on Friday, which is one of the busiest times of the week for this service.

Cause Not Yet Determined

Aside from the frantic rescue efforts, governmental agencies also attempted to begin the process of figuring out how and why this tragic disaster occurred.  One of the early theories is that the engineer of the Metrolink train simply ran a stop signal on the tracks, and that this led to the crash with a freight train.

Other theories are beginning to form, but the bottom line is that it will take some time to determine with any degree of finality who would be at fault and how this sort of catastrophe can be avoided in the future.  Local, state and federal authorities continue to examine different causes and circumstances that surround the situation.

Damage Done

Aside from the obvious and frankly less important aspect of the property damage caused, the total death number of 25 is far from final.  That’s because the latest figures in regards to fatalities include at least 135 people who were injured and 81 people who were transported to nearby hospitals with extreme urgency because of the fact that they were in critical condition with serious injuries.

Your Next Step

If you or someone you love has been injured or worse in this disaster, your obvious first step is to do what’s necessary to help those who have been affected.  No matter what sort of injuries may or may not have been suffered, you owe it to yourself and those you love to provide for the necessary medical care to make sure that no potentially significant injuries go undiagnosed.  You should also seek input from an accident attorney so that you can be aware of your legal rights and options before you make any decisions in this regard as well.