PLACENTIA, Calif., April 24 (UPI) -- Human error is the probable cause of an accident that killed two people and injured more than 200 when a locomotive engineer apparently missed a yellow track signal and was unable to bring his heavily loaded freight train to a stop before in plowed head-on into a crowded commuter train south of Los Angeles, federal investigators.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday that it appeared that the engineer of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight train didn't see the yellow light on Tuesday and was caught unaware when he came to a red light a short distance down the tracks.
"There is no question that the Burlington Northern train should have stopped," NTSB Chairwoman Marion Blakey told a news conference.
"That is the procedure that was called for at this juncture. The right-of-way was for the Metrolink train. The question is why didn't they stop?" she added. "That's the question we are trying to get to the bottom of."
As a result, the freight train struck the stopped Metrolink train at around 20 miles per hour, causing two deaths and injuring more than 250 commuters; 165 were treated at a hospital and some 80 injured remained hospitalized for their injuries as of Wednesday.
Even at the lower speed, the New Mexico-bound freight train, which stretched nearly a mile long, had enough momentum behind it to push the three-car commuter train backwards more than 100 yards and send the nearly 300 passengers flying out of their seats.
The freight train had been traveling earlier at more than 40 miles per hour on a slight uphill grade when it reached the yellow signal and should have been slowing down when it reached the red light. Normally, the freight train would have stopped while the Metrolink was switched to another track, but data from the train's "black box" event recorders indicated the engineer did not apply the brakes until he was passing through the red light and headed straight for the helpless Metrolink train.
"The signals were operating normally and the signal system was functioning correctly," Blakey said. "We also have been looking at the operations and human performance questions. These are critical questions in a rail, or any other transportation accident."
Witnesses told reporters Tuesday that it appeared the Metrolink engineer realized the freight train was on a collision course because he came to an abrupt stop between two stations and began sounding his horn. He then walked through the lead car, advising passengers to get down before the impact.
Blakey said the testing of the trains' brakes had been completed along with the inspection of the tracks and signal systems and the reading of the data collected by the trains' "black box" event recorders. There were no problems with any of the mechanical systems, she said, and interviews with the crews of the two trains were continuing. The conductors and engineers of both trains tested negative for alcohol and the toxicology screens for drugs were still pending Wednesday.
(Reported by Hil Anderson in Los Angeles)
