LA train crash

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Unfun. Considering I use the trains often enough to get around the basin, an accident like this is something that I do wonder about from time to time. (I can just see some of the people around here using this as an excuse to say why their SUVs are so 'safe'.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 16:45 (twenty-one years ago)

ugh. bad.

― .ada.m. (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 16:49 (twenty-one years ago)

: (

of couse the 4 (or is it 9 now?) people killed in this and the however many injured don't even come close to highway fatalities and injuries. Even if you adjust it by ridership.

Still. Sucks. A lot.

― MY FAVOURITE LIGHTER IS CHEESEBURGER (trigonalmayhem), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 16:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Our correspondent says there are unconfirmed reports that a Cherokee jeep may have been on the track, causing the first train to crash.
Not *that* safe then?

― Archel (Archel), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 16:52 (twenty-one years ago)

why am I somehow not suprised that some douche in a car probably trying to beat the train probably started all this?

― MY FAVOURITE LIGHTER IS CHEESEBURGER (trigonalmayhem), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 16:54 (twenty-one years ago)

I doubt seriously that anyone could use this as a reason that SUVs are better - after all, this happens rarely, and SUVs are flipping over all the time...

― luna (luna.c), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 16:55 (twenty-one years ago)

exactly.
but ... the minds of SUV drivers are strange. They somehow justify paying loads of money to first purchase and then loads more money because of poor fuel-efficiency an oversized flimsily-constructed pile of yuppie trash.

― MY FAVOURITE LIGHTER IS CHEESEBURGER (trigonalmayhem), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 16:57 (twenty-one years ago)

also my grammar this morning is atrocoious

pardon.

― MY FAVOURITE LIGHTER IS CHEESEBURGER (trigonalmayhem), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 16:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Rail fatalities by any measure (total fatalities, per passenger or per passenger km) are all much lower than for cars, the problem is a train crash causing multiple fatalities gets big coverage because it is unusual, how often does a motorway pile up that kills four get a mention in more than just the traffic report?

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 16:58 (twenty-one years ago)

social bias #174 against rail transit!

― MY FAVOURITE LIGHTER IS CHEESEBURGER (trigonalmayhem), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 17:00 (twenty-one years ago)

i would have thought SUV drivers only claim that their cars are safer than the smaller cars, anyway! (Although actually i wouldn't be surprised that some think they're safer than trains, though)

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 17:03 (twenty-one years ago)

its possible it could have been a suicide. However, most of the time people just jump in front of the trains rather than park cars on the rails.

― Juan, the Magic Don (jingleberries), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 17:10 (twenty-one years ago)

I had that happen when I took a train to Washington, once.

― Suedey (John Cei Douglas), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 17:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Suicide was also suspected in the recent similar incident on the Great western Mainline in England late last year.

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 17:12 (twenty-one years ago)

The thing with Trains (and Planes), but not Automobiles, is that there's a sense that in a crash, there's no control. I mean if a train derails or a plane falls out of the sky, the passengers can't do anything. Often there's no warning either. I *feel* like if something goes wrong when I'm driving, that I can swerve out of the way. Actually, I think planes are safest (distance per person)?

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 18:02 (twenty-one years ago)

planes do not just fall out of the sky ;)

― Stevem On X (blueski), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 18:14 (twenty-one years ago)

apparently the vehicle was parked on the tracks intentionally? Police are questioning the driver.

― Riot Gear! (Gear!), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 19:06 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/01/26/train.derailment/index.html

GLENDALE, California (CNN) -- A suicidal man parked his vehicle on tracks Wednesday, causing a commuter train collision that killed at least 10 people outside Los Angeles, officials said.

"This whole incident was started by a deranged individual who was suicidal," said Glendale Police Chief Randy Adams.

The suspect, identified as Juan Manuel Alvarez, 26, got out of the vehicle before impact and watched the collision, Adams said.

Alvarez of Compton, California, is in custody and is expected to be charged with homicide, Adams said.

"I think he was intent at that time of taking his own life, but changed his mind prior to the train actually striking his vehicle," Adams said. . . .

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 19:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Ill just kill innumerable others instead, thanks. What a fucker.

― Juan, the Magic Don (jingleberries), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 19:25 (twenty-one years ago)

It didn't occur to him to change his mind by DRIVING HIS CAR OFF THE TRACKS?

― Allyzay Highlights The Fallacy of Radiohead (allyzay), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 19:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Surely there is a train that runs through Compton, no?

― mayahee, mayahoo, mayaha, mayahaha (deangulberry), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 19:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Suicide was also suspected in the recent similar incident on the Great western Mainline in England late last year.

A pedant writes: you mean the incident on the Berks. & Hants. line late last year.

― caitlin (caitlin), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 20:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Well Im glad theyre going to charge his ass with homicide. He earned that one.

― Juan, the Magic Don (jingleberries), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 21:20 (twenty-one years ago)

But is prison worse than Compton?!

― mayahee, mayahoo, mayaha, mayahaha (deangulberry), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 21:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Compton's not so bad. I hear they have a Pottery Barn now.

― Stevem On X (blueski), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 21:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Unfun?!

― roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Wednesday, 26 January 2005 21:36 (twenty-one years ago)

its possible it could have been a suicide. However, most of the time people just jump in front of the trains rather than park cars on the rails.
-- Juan, the Magic Don (still.beven...), January 26th, 2005.

There's always the 'take a lot of innocent people with you' mindset.

― Sasha (sgh), Thursday, 27 January 2005 01:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Unfun?!

...borrowed from a Jawbreaker album and often used by me in an extremely understating sense.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 27 January 2005 01:39 (twenty-one years ago)

So I heard to day that the guy is being charged with "Murder with Special Circumstances" which may mean he could get the death penalty?

We've argued the death penalty before, but in this case, isn't it a purely emotional & vindictive sentence?

― dave225 (Dave225), Thursday, 27 January 2005 18:24 (twenty-one years ago)

When is a sentence not vindictive?

― Site Admistrator (deangulberry), Thursday, 27 January 2005 18:28 (twenty-one years ago)

it's the most extreme form of othering, which is (one of) the general impetus(es) behind all criminal law (and also right wing sentiment)

(xpost)

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Thursday, 27 January 2005 18:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I was thinking about this -- I'm opposed to the death penalty in all cases, so I fear that's where this will go. If this guy had a documented history of mental instability, then institutionalization is the answer, for good pretty much. Otherwise, life in jail, do not pass go.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 27 January 2005 18:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Apparently he tried to get the jeep of the tracks but it was stuck. He's probably get manslaughter. They just like to bring up the most serious charge possible in order to bargain.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 27 January 2005 18:30 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm surprised that they're not calling this "domestic terrorism."

― Site Admistrator (deangulberry), Thursday, 27 January 2005 18:34 (twenty-one years ago)

paging jack bauer, paging jack bauer

― f-a-b-o-l-o-u-s (adamwest), Thursday, 27 January 2005 18:35 (twenty-one years ago)

"He's" should be "He'll" obviously.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 27 January 2005 18:36 (twenty-one years ago)

in response to nothing in particular .. I meant that even if you advocate the death penalty in murder cases, his intent was (probably) not to kill other people. I doubt he thought that far ahead. So a death sentence for negligence seems vindictive in the sense that it's revenge for his stupidity, not justice.

― dave225 (Dave225), Thursday, 27 January 2005 18:54 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm surprised that they're not calling this "domestic terrorism."

Coworker and I were making cracks about that today. "Clearly he's a member of al-Qaeda, they're all crazy suicidal people..."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 27 January 2005 18:55 (twenty-one years ago)

... and the news story would contain a graphic showing a little square closeup of the color of his skin.

― Site Admistrator (deangulberry), Thursday, 27 January 2005 19:08 (twenty-one years ago)

"J'uan Al Varez"

― Site Admistrator (deangulberry), Thursday, 27 January 2005 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

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