2 Killed as Car Goes Through Traffic Signal and Collides With Blue Line Train
Los Angeles Times
December 18, 1992
Two people were killed Thursday night when their car collided with a Blue Line commuter train in Long Beach, authorities said.
RTD spokesman Jim Smart said the accident occurred about 7 p.m. when the car failed to stop at a traffic signal and was struck by the train as it approached a station near 1st Street and Pine Avenue.
Smart said the victims, whose identities were not immediately available, were an elderly man and woman. The male driver of the car was pronounced dead at St. Mary's Hospital in Long Beach. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, he said.
Authorities said the train had slowed to 10 m.p.h. in preparation for a stop at the Transit Mall Station, near the southern terminus of the commuter line. The impact crushed the car against the station platform, RTD officials said.
Thursday, December 17, 1992
Saturday, September 12, 1992
Blue Line Kills 21 Year Old
Driver Killed, Passenger Injured in Car Hit by Blue Line Train
Los Angeles Times
By David Ferrell
September 13, 1992
One man was killed and another critically injured when a car swerved around a closed crossing gate and was crushed by an oncoming Metro Blue Line train Saturday in South Los Angeles, authorities said.
Vina Kim, 21, whose car sped around a crossing gate at 55th Street and Long Beach Avenue West, was killed as the southbound train knocked his 1984 Nissan into a metal power pole, witnesses and family members said.
The passenger in the car, whose name was not immediately available, had to be removed from the crushed car by firefighters and was reported in critical condition at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.
The incident, shortly after 3 p.m., was believed to be the seventh fatal accident involving the 22-mile Blue Line route since it opened in July, 1990. Most of the fatalities, according to police, have involved drivers or pedestrians ignoring warning signs or crossing gates.
Heng Loeum, 19, a friend of Kim's who had been following in a separate car, said Kim's car was the second of three traveling in a caravan south on Long Beach Avenue West, a street running parallel to the Blue Line tracks, just before the accident.
As the cars reached a stop sign before turning east across the tracks onto 55th Street, Loeum said, two northbound trains were approaching from ahead of them. When the first train passed, the driver in the lead automobile skirted the closed crossing gate and made the left turn before the second train arrived. Kim, thinking he could make the same turn ahead of the northbound train, also drove around the closed gate, Loeum said.
Apparently, Kim did not see or hear the southbound Blue Line train that was roaring up from behind, Loeum said. That train struck Kim's car and it hurtled about 40 yards off the tracks and into the power pole, where it caught fire.
"Even me, I didn't see the train coming from the left . . . I didn't hear it," Loeum said. "If (Kim) had passed (through the intersection safely), I would have gone."
Loeum said he pulled over and made unsuccessful attempts to free the driver and passenger from the twisted wreckage before running to telephone police.
Before police arrived, Loeum said, about 15 bystanders attempted to help those in the car.
Los Angeles Times
By David Ferrell
September 13, 1992
One man was killed and another critically injured when a car swerved around a closed crossing gate and was crushed by an oncoming Metro Blue Line train Saturday in South Los Angeles, authorities said.
Vina Kim, 21, whose car sped around a crossing gate at 55th Street and Long Beach Avenue West, was killed as the southbound train knocked his 1984 Nissan into a metal power pole, witnesses and family members said.
The passenger in the car, whose name was not immediately available, had to be removed from the crushed car by firefighters and was reported in critical condition at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.
The incident, shortly after 3 p.m., was believed to be the seventh fatal accident involving the 22-mile Blue Line route since it opened in July, 1990. Most of the fatalities, according to police, have involved drivers or pedestrians ignoring warning signs or crossing gates.
Heng Loeum, 19, a friend of Kim's who had been following in a separate car, said Kim's car was the second of three traveling in a caravan south on Long Beach Avenue West, a street running parallel to the Blue Line tracks, just before the accident.
As the cars reached a stop sign before turning east across the tracks onto 55th Street, Loeum said, two northbound trains were approaching from ahead of them. When the first train passed, the driver in the lead automobile skirted the closed crossing gate and made the left turn before the second train arrived. Kim, thinking he could make the same turn ahead of the northbound train, also drove around the closed gate, Loeum said.
Apparently, Kim did not see or hear the southbound Blue Line train that was roaring up from behind, Loeum said. That train struck Kim's car and it hurtled about 40 yards off the tracks and into the power pole, where it caught fire.
"Even me, I didn't see the train coming from the left . . . I didn't hear it," Loeum said. "If (Kim) had passed (through the intersection safely), I would have gone."
Loeum said he pulled over and made unsuccessful attempts to free the driver and passenger from the twisted wreckage before running to telephone police.
Before police arrived, Loeum said, about 15 bystanders attempted to help those in the car.
Sunday, January 19, 1992
Blue Line Kills 2 in Compton Accident that Sheared a Car in Half
Blue Line Section Reopens After Fatal Weekend Crash
Los Angeles Times
January 20, 1992
A three-mile stretch of the Metro Blue Line was reopened Sunday evening, after a weekend collision in Compton that derailed a northbound train and sheared a car in half, killing its passenger, officials said.
Service was restored shortly after 7 p.m., said Greg Davy, Southern California Rapid Transit District spokesman. He said trains will have to slow down at the accident site because of a missing power pole. Otherwise, the schedule will not be affected, he said.
On Sunday, Blue Line passengers were shuttled by bus from Del Amo Boulevard to Imperial Highway, adding about 20 minutes to their travel time, an RTD spokesman said.
Police said Saturday's collision occurred when Johnny Carl Hagler, 47, of Long Beach tried to speed around a crossing gate to beat the train. Hagler was in serious condition Sunday at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center with multiple fractures.
His 43-year-old passenger, a Lynwood woman whose name was withheld pending notification of relatives, was killed instantly, officials said. One of the 53 passengers aboard the Blue Line suffered minor injuries.
Compton Police Sgt. William Wallace said Sunday that investigators are awaiting results of blood tests performed after the accident to determine if Hagler was intoxicated. If so, Hagler could face charges of felony drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter, Wallace said.
1 Dead, 2 Injured in Crash of Car, Blue Line Train
Los Angeles Times
By Greg Krikorian and Edmund Newton
January 19, 1992
A Metro Blue Line train derailed in Compton on Saturday afternoon after colliding with a car that tried to speed around a crossing gate, authorities said. The collision sheared the car in half, killing its passenger and critically injuring its driver.
Only one of the 53 passengers aboard the northbound train was hurt and police described her injuries as minor.
Authorities said the 3:36 p.m. accident occurred when a 1980 Chevrolet Chevette traveling east on Manville Street reached the grade crossing at Willowbrook Avenue at the same time as a northbound Blue Line train moving at 55 m.p.h.
Although the crossing gates were down, the driver of the car started to cross the tracks, according to Compton Police Sgt. William Wallace. The train hit the car, dragging it 150 feet.
The car was torn apart as it was pulled along, leaving part of its drivetrain next to the tracks and pieces of metal strewn to the sides. A ball of crumpled metal lay at the front of the train, where the first of two rail cars jumped the tracks, blocking the southbound line.
The unidentified male driver and female passenger were ejected on impact, Wallace said, and were taken by Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics to Long Beach Memorial Hospital. There, the woman, believed to be about 35, was pronounced dead and her male companion, said to be about 40, was listed in critical condition with numerous fractures and internal injuries.
No charges were filed against the driver, but Wallace said an investigation of the accident is under way. "We have information that the driver was possibly under the influence of alcohol and if that is substantiated, appropriate charges will be filed," he said.
Since the Blue Line opened in July, 1990, its light-rail trains have been involved in 37 collisions and six deaths. This was the first time one of the Long Beach-to-Los Angeles trains derailed, a spokesman for the commuter line said.
"Unfortunately, all of the fatalities have involved people who were attempting to get around the crossing gates as a train approached," RTD spokesman Jim Smart said.
After Saturday's accident, the shaken passengers were held for interviews by authorities only a few feet from the wreckage of the car.
"It felt like an earthquake," said Charles Smith, 16, of Long Beach, who was riding in the second car, where several passengers described a scene of panic after the crash.
Rhonda McCurthon, 15, of Lynwood and her friend Andrea Simpson, 16, of Los Angeles said they and other passengers in the train's second car rushed for the emergency doors after the crash. "Everyone was scared," Simpson said.
But two passengers in the first rail car that struck the vehicle described a different scene. Jobie Gayer, 38, of Wilmington and Marisa DeSimone, 28, of Santa Monica said they and others remained calm after being reassured by the train's conductor, Mike Martinez, that "everything was OK."
After the crash, they said, Martinez ran to aid the two people in the car.
Gayer and DeSimone said this was their first trip on the Blue Line. "We decided we should take a trip on it," DeSimone said.
The four law enforcement agencies that patrol along the Blue Line's 22-mile route-the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and police from Los Angeles, Compton and Long Beach-have engaged in a high-profile safety campaign to discourage motorists from trying to beat the trains at grade crossings.
The trains often reach speeds of 55 m.p.h., authorities say.
After the accident, a three-mile stretch of the Blue Line from Del Amo Boulevard to Imperial Highway was shut down. Passengers were transported around the affected area by bus.
RTD spokesman Bill Heard said late Saturday that officials hope to have the closed stretch of the Blue Line reopened for service by noon today. In the meantime, he said, RTD will use buses to transfer passengers through the area.
Los Angeles Times
January 20, 1992
A three-mile stretch of the Metro Blue Line was reopened Sunday evening, after a weekend collision in Compton that derailed a northbound train and sheared a car in half, killing its passenger, officials said.
Service was restored shortly after 7 p.m., said Greg Davy, Southern California Rapid Transit District spokesman. He said trains will have to slow down at the accident site because of a missing power pole. Otherwise, the schedule will not be affected, he said.
On Sunday, Blue Line passengers were shuttled by bus from Del Amo Boulevard to Imperial Highway, adding about 20 minutes to their travel time, an RTD spokesman said.
Police said Saturday's collision occurred when Johnny Carl Hagler, 47, of Long Beach tried to speed around a crossing gate to beat the train. Hagler was in serious condition Sunday at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center with multiple fractures.
His 43-year-old passenger, a Lynwood woman whose name was withheld pending notification of relatives, was killed instantly, officials said. One of the 53 passengers aboard the Blue Line suffered minor injuries.
Compton Police Sgt. William Wallace said Sunday that investigators are awaiting results of blood tests performed after the accident to determine if Hagler was intoxicated. If so, Hagler could face charges of felony drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter, Wallace said.
1 Dead, 2 Injured in Crash of Car, Blue Line Train
Los Angeles Times
By Greg Krikorian and Edmund Newton
January 19, 1992
A Metro Blue Line train derailed in Compton on Saturday afternoon after colliding with a car that tried to speed around a crossing gate, authorities said. The collision sheared the car in half, killing its passenger and critically injuring its driver.
Only one of the 53 passengers aboard the northbound train was hurt and police described her injuries as minor.
Authorities said the 3:36 p.m. accident occurred when a 1980 Chevrolet Chevette traveling east on Manville Street reached the grade crossing at Willowbrook Avenue at the same time as a northbound Blue Line train moving at 55 m.p.h.
Although the crossing gates were down, the driver of the car started to cross the tracks, according to Compton Police Sgt. William Wallace. The train hit the car, dragging it 150 feet.
The car was torn apart as it was pulled along, leaving part of its drivetrain next to the tracks and pieces of metal strewn to the sides. A ball of crumpled metal lay at the front of the train, where the first of two rail cars jumped the tracks, blocking the southbound line.
The unidentified male driver and female passenger were ejected on impact, Wallace said, and were taken by Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics to Long Beach Memorial Hospital. There, the woman, believed to be about 35, was pronounced dead and her male companion, said to be about 40, was listed in critical condition with numerous fractures and internal injuries.
No charges were filed against the driver, but Wallace said an investigation of the accident is under way. "We have information that the driver was possibly under the influence of alcohol and if that is substantiated, appropriate charges will be filed," he said.
Since the Blue Line opened in July, 1990, its light-rail trains have been involved in 37 collisions and six deaths. This was the first time one of the Long Beach-to-Los Angeles trains derailed, a spokesman for the commuter line said.
"Unfortunately, all of the fatalities have involved people who were attempting to get around the crossing gates as a train approached," RTD spokesman Jim Smart said.
After Saturday's accident, the shaken passengers were held for interviews by authorities only a few feet from the wreckage of the car.
"It felt like an earthquake," said Charles Smith, 16, of Long Beach, who was riding in the second car, where several passengers described a scene of panic after the crash.
Rhonda McCurthon, 15, of Lynwood and her friend Andrea Simpson, 16, of Los Angeles said they and other passengers in the train's second car rushed for the emergency doors after the crash. "Everyone was scared," Simpson said.
But two passengers in the first rail car that struck the vehicle described a different scene. Jobie Gayer, 38, of Wilmington and Marisa DeSimone, 28, of Santa Monica said they and others remained calm after being reassured by the train's conductor, Mike Martinez, that "everything was OK."
After the crash, they said, Martinez ran to aid the two people in the car.
Gayer and DeSimone said this was their first trip on the Blue Line. "We decided we should take a trip on it," DeSimone said.
The four law enforcement agencies that patrol along the Blue Line's 22-mile route-the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and police from Los Angeles, Compton and Long Beach-have engaged in a high-profile safety campaign to discourage motorists from trying to beat the trains at grade crossings.
The trains often reach speeds of 55 m.p.h., authorities say.
After the accident, a three-mile stretch of the Blue Line from Del Amo Boulevard to Imperial Highway was shut down. Passengers were transported around the affected area by bus.
RTD spokesman Bill Heard said late Saturday that officials hope to have the closed stretch of the Blue Line reopened for service by noon today. In the meantime, he said, RTD will use buses to transfer passengers through the area.
Thursday, April 18, 1991
Blue Line Injures Motorist at Central
Two Transit Accidents Leave One Dead, Five Injured
Los Angeles Times
By Nieson Himmel
April 19, 1991
An RTD bus and a Metro Rail Blue Line train, also operated by the transit authority, were involved in separate accidents in Los Angeles on Thursday, leaving one man dead and five people injured-two critically, authorities said.
The fatality occurred when a car carrying five people spun out of control near Crenshaw and Pico boulevards and slammed into the bus at 4 p.m., fire officials said.
A passenger in the car was dead at the scene and two other occupants of the vehicle were taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where they were in critical condition, a spokesman for the Fire Department said.
Two others in the car were examined at the scene and released, the spokesman said.
In the second accident, a car made a left turn in front of the Blue Line train at Washington Boulevard and Central Avenue just south of downtown Los Angeles at 4:30 p.m., RTD officials said.
The car's driver suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene by paramedics, said RTD spokeswoman Jennifer Elliott.
Two passengers on the commuter train also complained of minor injuries, she said.
None of the victims in either incident was identified by authorities.
Los Angeles Times
By Nieson Himmel
April 19, 1991
An RTD bus and a Metro Rail Blue Line train, also operated by the transit authority, were involved in separate accidents in Los Angeles on Thursday, leaving one man dead and five people injured-two critically, authorities said.
The fatality occurred when a car carrying five people spun out of control near Crenshaw and Pico boulevards and slammed into the bus at 4 p.m., fire officials said.
A passenger in the car was dead at the scene and two other occupants of the vehicle were taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where they were in critical condition, a spokesman for the Fire Department said.
Two others in the car were examined at the scene and released, the spokesman said.
In the second accident, a car made a left turn in front of the Blue Line train at Washington Boulevard and Central Avenue just south of downtown Los Angeles at 4:30 p.m., RTD officials said.
The car's driver suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene by paramedics, said RTD spokeswoman Jennifer Elliott.
Two passengers on the commuter train also complained of minor injuries, she said.
None of the victims in either incident was identified by authorities.
Tuesday, January 15, 1991
Blue Line Hits Compton Woman & Puts Her in Critical Condition
Blue Line Strikes Auto, Critically Injuring Driver
Los Angeles Times
January 16, 1991
A Metro Blue Line train collided with a small foreign car Tuesday, critically injuring a 38-year-old motorist who police say "drove around safety gates" at a Compton intersection.
The driver, Sherril McDowell, suffered major head, chest and rib cage injuries and her Volkswagen bug was crushed, Compton Police Lt. Joseph Flores said. She was taken to Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center for treatment.
McDowell was driving west on Alondra Boulevard approaching Willowbrook Avenue shortly before noon when she drove around railroad gates and into the path of the train, which was heading south about 40 m.p.h., Flores said.
The accident is thought to be the 35th involving the Blue Line since it began operating on July 14, a Rapid Transit District spokeswoman said.
Los Angeles Times
January 16, 1991
A Metro Blue Line train collided with a small foreign car Tuesday, critically injuring a 38-year-old motorist who police say "drove around safety gates" at a Compton intersection.
The driver, Sherril McDowell, suffered major head, chest and rib cage injuries and her Volkswagen bug was crushed, Compton Police Lt. Joseph Flores said. She was taken to Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center for treatment.
McDowell was driving west on Alondra Boulevard approaching Willowbrook Avenue shortly before noon when she drove around railroad gates and into the path of the train, which was heading south about 40 m.p.h., Flores said.
The accident is thought to be the 35th involving the Blue Line since it began operating on July 14, a Rapid Transit District spokeswoman said.
Thursday, October 25, 1990
Blue Line Kills 4 Year Old and Mother, 12 Hours After Injuring 4 Others
4 Hurt in Latest Blue Line Crash
Los Angeles Times
October 25, 1990
Los Angeles, CA - Four people in a car making a left turn were injured in a collision with a Blue Line train today, less than 12 hours after a mother and her son were killed in another accident along the Los Angeles-to-Long Beach line.
The latest accident occurred about 8:10 a.m. in Long Beach at Burnett Street and Long Beach Boulevard after the driver of the car turned into the southbound train three blocks south of the Willow Station, said Rick Jager, a spokesman for the Southern California Rapid Transit District.
In the earlier incident, Graciela Marinero, 26, of Los Angeles, and her 4-year-old son, Willie Torres, were killed about 8:45 p.m. Wednesday when their car was struck by a Blue Line train at a South-Central Los Angeles intersection.
The victims in today's collision were taken to Long Beach Memorial Hospital, Jager said. A hospital spokesman said the four-all Cambodians-suffered minor injuries.
Los Angeles Times
October 25, 1990
Los Angeles, CA - Four people in a car making a left turn were injured in a collision with a Blue Line train today, less than 12 hours after a mother and her son were killed in another accident along the Los Angeles-to-Long Beach line.
The latest accident occurred about 8:10 a.m. in Long Beach at Burnett Street and Long Beach Boulevard after the driver of the car turned into the southbound train three blocks south of the Willow Station, said Rick Jager, a spokesman for the Southern California Rapid Transit District.
In the earlier incident, Graciela Marinero, 26, of Los Angeles, and her 4-year-old son, Willie Torres, were killed about 8:45 p.m. Wednesday when their car was struck by a Blue Line train at a South-Central Los Angeles intersection.
The victims in today's collision were taken to Long Beach Memorial Hospital, Jager said. A hospital spokesman said the four-all Cambodians-suffered minor injuries.
Wednesday, September 19, 1990
Mother of 11 Walking to Church is First Killed by Blue Line
Blue Line Train Kills Woman, 66, Crossing Tracks Accident
Mother of 11 becomes first fatality since new commuter light rail line opened in July
Los Angeles Times
By Bettina Boxall
Mother of 11 becomes first fatality since new commuter light rail line opened in July
Los Angeles Times
By Bettina Boxall
September 21, 1990
A Watts woman became the first fatality on the new light rail line between Los Angeles and Long Beach when she was struck by a train Wednesday evening while crossing the tracks at an intersection within sight of her house.
Rosa Ceballos, 66, was on her way to church at about 5:30 p.m. when she was hit head-on by a southbound, Blue Line train traveling at full speed through the crossing at Century Boulevard and South Graham Avenue, authorities said.
Witnesses gave conflicting accounts of the accident, some insisting the warning lights and gates were not operating when the train entered the intersection and others saying they were.
"She walked right into the train. The arms were down. The red lights were blinking," said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. Sharon Madison, who was on the train as part of a routine security patrol.
Madison emphatically dismissed reports that the line's warning signals had not worked as they should.
"That's not true," she said. "I don't know if she didn't hear it. I don't know if she didn't see it or saw it and panicked.
"We were passing Century Boulevard," the sergeant continued. "The train was beginning to brake and we didn't know why. The driver was laying on the horn. We looked out the window to see what the problem was and I saw her (the victim) bouncing along the train."
The train stopped just beyond the intersection and Madison said she ran back to find Ceballos on top of the tracks.
The mother of 11, Ceballos died a short time later at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center, according to a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, which built the 19-mile-long line.
The accident-which disrupted service for about 45 minutes-was the most serious on the line since it opened with much fanfare in July.
"This just absolutely stunned us," said Stephanie Brady, the commission's media relations director. "I don't understand why she didn't heed the warning signs. We're confident we made every possible allowance-noise, lights, horns-to warn of coming trains."
Brady said there have been a few minor brushes between cars and trains since the system got under way. A teen-ager lost several toes while playing a game of "dare" with a train near downtown Los Angeles in late July.
Wednesday's fatality will be investigated by both Los Angeles police and the Southern California Rapid Transit District, which operates the system.
Ceballos, who attended church almost daily, lived with one of her children in the 9900 block of South Graham Avenue just a few feet behind another family house that faces the light rail tracks. As twilight fell Wednesday, family members stood in the dusty front yard, tears wetting their faces.
"A little boy, he told me, your mother is over there," said one of Ceballos' sons, Magdaleno Barrientos. He went to the tracks to find out what happened. "And they (authorities) say, `Stay over there.' "
A granddaughter said that Ceballos had neither hearing nor sight problems.
Several people who said they saw the accident maintained that the warning gates lining both sides of the crossing did not come down until after the train stopped.
"The gates weren't down. The horns weren't blowing at all," said Clara Domingo, who was getting into her car when Ceballos was struck nearby.
But on the other side of the tracks, Manuel Jaramillio, a security guard at an apartment complex, backed up Madison's account.
"The gates were down. The lights were going. The driver was blowing his horn. I was wondering if she was going to take that chance," said Jaramillio, who regularly watches the sleek new cars as they whisk between Los Angeles and Long Beach at 55 m.p.h.
Jaramillio said he often sees pedestrians take risks at the crossing.
"They like to play tag, it seems," he said.
While wooden gates block the path of cars when a train passes through the Century and Graham intersection, there is room for pedestrians to walk by the gates and past warning lights and bells onto the four tracks, which carry both freight trains and the Blue Line cars.
A Watts woman became the first fatality on the new light rail line between Los Angeles and Long Beach when she was struck by a train Wednesday evening while crossing the tracks at an intersection within sight of her house.
Rosa Ceballos, 66, was on her way to church at about 5:30 p.m. when she was hit head-on by a southbound, Blue Line train traveling at full speed through the crossing at Century Boulevard and South Graham Avenue, authorities said.
Witnesses gave conflicting accounts of the accident, some insisting the warning lights and gates were not operating when the train entered the intersection and others saying they were.
"She walked right into the train. The arms were down. The red lights were blinking," said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. Sharon Madison, who was on the train as part of a routine security patrol.
Madison emphatically dismissed reports that the line's warning signals had not worked as they should.
"That's not true," she said. "I don't know if she didn't hear it. I don't know if she didn't see it or saw it and panicked.
"We were passing Century Boulevard," the sergeant continued. "The train was beginning to brake and we didn't know why. The driver was laying on the horn. We looked out the window to see what the problem was and I saw her (the victim) bouncing along the train."
The train stopped just beyond the intersection and Madison said she ran back to find Ceballos on top of the tracks.
The mother of 11, Ceballos died a short time later at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center, according to a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, which built the 19-mile-long line.
The accident-which disrupted service for about 45 minutes-was the most serious on the line since it opened with much fanfare in July.
"This just absolutely stunned us," said Stephanie Brady, the commission's media relations director. "I don't understand why she didn't heed the warning signs. We're confident we made every possible allowance-noise, lights, horns-to warn of coming trains."
Brady said there have been a few minor brushes between cars and trains since the system got under way. A teen-ager lost several toes while playing a game of "dare" with a train near downtown Los Angeles in late July.
Wednesday's fatality will be investigated by both Los Angeles police and the Southern California Rapid Transit District, which operates the system.
Ceballos, who attended church almost daily, lived with one of her children in the 9900 block of South Graham Avenue just a few feet behind another family house that faces the light rail tracks. As twilight fell Wednesday, family members stood in the dusty front yard, tears wetting their faces.
"A little boy, he told me, your mother is over there," said one of Ceballos' sons, Magdaleno Barrientos. He went to the tracks to find out what happened. "And they (authorities) say, `Stay over there.' "
A granddaughter said that Ceballos had neither hearing nor sight problems.
Several people who said they saw the accident maintained that the warning gates lining both sides of the crossing did not come down until after the train stopped.
"The gates weren't down. The horns weren't blowing at all," said Clara Domingo, who was getting into her car when Ceballos was struck nearby.
But on the other side of the tracks, Manuel Jaramillio, a security guard at an apartment complex, backed up Madison's account.
"The gates were down. The lights were going. The driver was blowing his horn. I was wondering if she was going to take that chance," said Jaramillio, who regularly watches the sleek new cars as they whisk between Los Angeles and Long Beach at 55 m.p.h.
Jaramillio said he often sees pedestrians take risks at the crossing.
"They like to play tag, it seems," he said.
While wooden gates block the path of cars when a train passes through the Century and Graham intersection, there is room for pedestrians to walk by the gates and past warning lights and bells onto the four tracks, which carry both freight trains and the Blue Line cars.
Tuesday, July 31, 1990
Blue Line Takes Teenagers Toes
Teen Plays 'Dare,' Loses Toes to Blue Line Train Transit
This first major injury associated with the new commuter service, which today will start charging passengers $1.10 for a one-way ride.
Los Angeles Times
By George Ramos
August 1, 1990
Los Angeles, CA - As officials prepared for today's $1.10 fare startup on the Blue Line, a teen-ager became the first person to receive a major injury associated with the light rail service when he lost several toes while playing a game of "dare" with a train near downtown Los Angeles.
RTD officials said Alejandro Hernandez, 13, of Los Angeles, and four friends were running next to a train near the Pico-Flower station Monday night, apparently daring one another to jump and catch a railing bar on a Blue Line car and then jump off. Hernandez, however, slipped and his left foot became caught under the train's wheels.
"He lost several of his toes," said Andrea Greene, a spokeswoman for the Southern California Rapid Transit District.
The train's operator and passengers were unaware of the mishap as the trolley proceeded south on Flower Street, Greene added.
The youth was taken to County-USC Medical Center, where he was in fair and stable condition Tuesday, hospital officials said.
Greene said that while RTD officials regret the accident, they believe that even the most stringent safety measures cannot prevent similar incidents.
"We're doing all that we can," she said, "but this has been going on for decades-boys playing with trains. And who's going to win? Obviously, the train is going to win."
The incident added fuel to arguments from some critics that there are not enough safety precautions along the 22-mile line from Long Beach to Los Angeles.
The head of the RTD bus drivers union said he reminded transit authorities this year that many youngsters play near the line's Pico-Flower station.
"We told them something ought to be done about that," said Earl Clark, general chairman of the United Transportation Union.
He also reiterated fears that unguarded tracks along Washington Boulevard on the southern edge of downtown could lead to accidents. Clark said RTD and state officials responded vaguely that they were looking into several safety concerns along the route.
Transit officials, citing the safety measures in the $11-million contract with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to provide security on the Blue Line, said they are generally satisfied with efforts to ensure passengers' well-being.
But what can authorities do with playful youngsters who want to outsmart a Blue Line train?
"If we see that type of activity, we will attempt to prevent it," a sheriff's spokesman said.
The trains have been operating free of charge since they began service July 14. One-way fares of $1.10 will begin this morning.
This first major injury associated with the new commuter service, which today will start charging passengers $1.10 for a one-way ride.
Los Angeles Times
By George Ramos
August 1, 1990
Los Angeles, CA - As officials prepared for today's $1.10 fare startup on the Blue Line, a teen-ager became the first person to receive a major injury associated with the light rail service when he lost several toes while playing a game of "dare" with a train near downtown Los Angeles.
RTD officials said Alejandro Hernandez, 13, of Los Angeles, and four friends were running next to a train near the Pico-Flower station Monday night, apparently daring one another to jump and catch a railing bar on a Blue Line car and then jump off. Hernandez, however, slipped and his left foot became caught under the train's wheels.
"He lost several of his toes," said Andrea Greene, a spokeswoman for the Southern California Rapid Transit District.
The train's operator and passengers were unaware of the mishap as the trolley proceeded south on Flower Street, Greene added.
The youth was taken to County-USC Medical Center, where he was in fair and stable condition Tuesday, hospital officials said.
Greene said that while RTD officials regret the accident, they believe that even the most stringent safety measures cannot prevent similar incidents.
"We're doing all that we can," she said, "but this has been going on for decades-boys playing with trains. And who's going to win? Obviously, the train is going to win."
The incident added fuel to arguments from some critics that there are not enough safety precautions along the 22-mile line from Long Beach to Los Angeles.
The head of the RTD bus drivers union said he reminded transit authorities this year that many youngsters play near the line's Pico-Flower station.
"We told them something ought to be done about that," said Earl Clark, general chairman of the United Transportation Union.
He also reiterated fears that unguarded tracks along Washington Boulevard on the southern edge of downtown could lead to accidents. Clark said RTD and state officials responded vaguely that they were looking into several safety concerns along the route.
Transit officials, citing the safety measures in the $11-million contract with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to provide security on the Blue Line, said they are generally satisfied with efforts to ensure passengers' well-being.
But what can authorities do with playful youngsters who want to outsmart a Blue Line train?
"If we see that type of activity, we will attempt to prevent it," a sheriff's spokesman said.
The trains have been operating free of charge since they began service July 14. One-way fares of $1.10 will begin this morning.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)