CLEVELAND, February 25 — The BLET Safety Task Force has been dispatched to
assist the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) with the
investigation of a collision involving a Metrolink passenger train and a
motor vehicle in Oxnard, Calif.
The accident occurred around 5:45 a.m. yesterday about 65 miles north of
Los Angeles. According to media reports, approximately 28 people were
injured including the train”s locomotive engineer. His injuries are
considered critical. Preliminary media reports indicate the passenger
train, which was carrying 48 passengers and three crew members, collided
with a truck that had been abandoned on the tracks. According to media
reports, the truck”s driver apparently fled the scene and was found
several miles away.
Brother Carl W. Fields, Coordinator of the BLET Safety Task Force, reports
that STF Primary Investigators Mike Galvani, BLET Division 664 (San Luis
Obispo, Calif), and Oscar Burrola, Division 839 (Richmond, Calif.), are on
scene representing BLET during the investigation. Brother Galvani is
serving as BLET’s Party Spokesman.
The BLET Safety Task Force assists federal agencies in the investigation
of rail accidents, helping to determine probable causes and making safety
recommendations. The STF will study the accident from the viewpoint of
locomotive engineers and trainmen to help determine how the accident
occurred and how to prevent similar accidents from happening in the
future.
The BLET has been granted Party Status by the National Transportation
Safety Board (NTSB) to assist with this accident investigation. As a
result, the BLET will defer all media inquiries to the NTSB, which will
handle the release of information as the on-site investigation unfolds.