Deadly Train Collision

The San Francisco Gate reported Friday, “California authorities say a train collision south of San Francisco has killed one person and resulted in the shutdown of commuter service.”  The incident happened, officials explain, “when a northbound train slammed into the car at a busy intersection in Palo Alto at around 5 p.m.” on April 15, 2011, according to the story.

In addition, the report indicated that television shots captured by helicopter showed footage of the tragedy depicting the extremely damaged vehicle just a few feet from the railroad tracks with trains stopped nearby.

A woman who lives about 200 yards from the scene of the crash, told reporters at the Gate that she heard the impact of the train hitting the vehicle and ran over to the intersection immediately after the crash.  Kate Mone also revealed a most unsettling observation, namely that that she heard a “thud, then metal on metal,” according to the Gate.

The name of the victim was not released and details are sketchy as to the extent of injuries suffered from those involved.  Sadly, bystanders, whom could do nothing to prevent the terrible accident from occurring, allegedly witnessed this incident.  It is also unclear what exactly caused the collision in the first place.

Although accidents involving trains are not uncommon to the area, residents know that caution must be taken when it comes to safety, especially that of pedestrians.  The Office of Railroad Safety also investigates accidents and collects data in order to support meaningful statistical information each year for citizens to read.  Once headquarters-assigned accident investigators are complete, reports are available for public inspection.

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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/04/15/national/a212334D67.DTL