Metrolink Train Crashes into Freight Train in Chatsworth

26 people have been killed and more than 130 people have been injured after a Metrolink train crashed head on into a freight train in Los Angeles. The Ventura County Line Metrolink train was headed toward Moorpark. The train departed from Union Station in downtown L.A. at 3:35 p.m. and they collided around 4:30 p.m. at Heatherlee Lane and Endora Avenue in Chatsworth area of the San Fernando Valley.

Chatsworth residents and eyewitnesses ran towards to train to provide assistance once they heard the collision and then saw a cloud of smoke arise. The Metrolink commuter train is believed to be carrying around 350 passengers. Six of its carriages have been derailed and one is flipped over onto its side. Residents helped evacuate the trains while firefighters rushed to the scene.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has confirmed six deaths, but firefighters are still searching each car to make sure they evacuate everyone. They are even ripping out seats to be sure no one is trapped underneath. jasa ekspedisi

The number of injured and fatalities continued to increase over the weekend. Many reports have revealed that there have been a number of cases of head traumas. A few people were able to walk out on their own, but they had lacerations and were bleeding.

Television broadcasts show firefighters treating injured people and carrying them away from the debris. It is believed that some passengers may be trapped underneath the toppled train car.

Helicopters have been airlifting people to nearby county hospitals and many are believed to be at UCLA Medical Center and Northridge Medical Center.

Many people have tried to contact their relatives who were riding the train, but most of them are getting their machines and anxiously waiting to hear of any news.

A Metrolink spokeswoman has made a statement that they do not want any more civilians to head to the crash site. They would prefer if people would donate blood to the local Red Cross instead of trying to intervene in Chatsworth.

The last time a Metrolink train derailed was in January of 2005 in Glendale, California when the train slammed into a Jeep Cherokee that had been parked on the tracks by Juan Manuel Alvarez. He was recently sentenced to 11 consecutive life prison terms on August 20, 2008.

Many people blamed the fatalities in the Glendale crash on the fact that the train was pushing passengers and did not have the engine at the front to take the blow from the impact. The Glendale crash raised safety concerns over the push and pull train system where a lighter car is being pushed or pulled by larger cars. It is still unclear as to whether today’s Metrolink train was being pushed or pulled.