January 26, 2005

California train crash considered the worst U.S. rail tragedy since 1999

Investigators worked all night at the scene of the train crash derailment that left 11 people dead and nearly 200 injured.

The train accident was a chain reaction caused when a suicidal man parked his SUV on a railroad track. Identified as Juan Manuel Alvarez, a Compton man who is said to have attempted suicide before, Alvarez apparently changed his mind and exited the car, leaving the vehicle on the tracks.

Authorities arrested Alvarez after he stood by and watched the deadly collision, and he was held without bail in a hospital’s ward after reportedly slitting his own wrists and stabbing himself in the chest. The case has been presented to the district attorney’s office, and multiple counts of first-degree murder are expected to be filed.

The train accident crash was the worst U.S. rail tragedy since March 15, 1999, when an Amtrak train hit a truck and derailed, leaving 11 dead and injuring more than 100. As of early Thursday, Glendale Fire Chief Christopher Gray said firefighters unable to get into parts of the mangled train overnight were still actively searching for a person who remained missing.

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