October 15, 2024

California Railroad Accidents

On Friday morning, January 7, 2014, a 14 year-old girl was struck and killed by a VTA light-rail train in San Jose, California. The accident occurred at about 7:30 AM as the teenager, Danika Garcia, was riding her bicycle on her way to school.

Witnesses at the scene of the crash stated that one of the warning arms wasn’t coming down at the VTA light rail crossing. A witness who was walking behind Garcia stopped when he heard the warning bells ring at the railroad crossing. The bicycling teen was wearing headphones at the time and continued to pedal forward. She was struck by the train when she began to cross the tracks.

Garcia was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries and died later that day. No passengers on the train were injured. Train service was temporarily suspended after the crash. It was restored early that afternoon.

The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department has jurisdiction over trains operated by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and is investigating the railroad crossing death. Investigators want to know conclusively if the crossing arms came down. They are interviewing witnesses and reviewing video of the deadly collision. The cause of the crash has not yet been determined.

Dozens injured in California truck-train crossing accident

October 20, 2012
California Amtrak Train Accident

About 39 passengers were injured earlier this month when a semi tractor-trailer truck collided with an Amtrak train near Hanford, California. The truck, carrying cotton trash, failed to yield and was struck by the passenger train around noon Monday, October 1, 2012. Of the 169 passengers aboard the train, 19 had minor injuries and 11 […]

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Amtrak trains crash and derail at California station, 18 injured

October 18, 2011
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An Amtrak train crashed into another at the Jack London Amtrak station in Oakland, CA on October 12. Both locomotive engines derailed and eighteen people were injured in the crash. The accident occurred when the San Joaquin train from Bakersfield to Oakland ran a red light at the station and hit the stationary Coast Starlight […]

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CA railroad crossing death was accident waiting to happen. Lawsuit?

April 18, 2011
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Palo Alto, CA — An Indiana woman died in a car train crash during rush hour at a railroad crossing in California on April 15. Local residents say it was a deadly accident waiting happen. The woman’s death followed dozens of near misses between cars and Caltrain at the Palo Alto crossing. Volunteer "Track Watch" […]

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2008 LA Metrolink train crash settlement: Victims speak out

February 8, 2011
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Los Angeles, CA — A Los Angeles Superior Court judge will hear testimony from passengers injured in the 2008 Chatsworth Metrolink train crash and survivors of passengers who were killed in the accident. The Court will decide how the $200 million settlement fund will be divided among the clamiants.

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