2008 Chatsworth train collision

2008 Chatsworth Train collision
Rescue workers in front of the Metrolink locomotive lying on its side after penetrating the lead passenger car (left)
Details
Date	September 12, 2008; 16 years ago (2008-09-12) 4:22:23 p.m. PDT (23:22:23 UTC)
Location	Los Angeles, California
Country	United States
Line	Ventura County Line
Operator	Metrolink Union Pacific Railroad
Incident type	Collision
Cause	Failure to stop at signal due to distraction from mobile phone use
Statistics
Trains	Metrolink passenger train Union Pacific freight train
Deaths	25
Injured	135
Damage	More than US$7,100,500[1]
Legend Simi Valley station Hidden Ranch Drive Katherine Road Kuehner Drive Santa Susana Pass Road Old Susana Pass Road Topanga Canyon Boulevard Union Pacific train direction of travel site of head-on collision Metrolink train direction of travel Chatsworth horse easement Chatsworth Street Devonshire Street Chatsworth station Lassen Street to Los Angeles Union Station This diagram: view talk edit

The 2008 Chatsworth train collision occurred at 4:22:23 p.m. PDT (23:22:23 UTC) on September 12, 2008, when a Union Pacific Railroad freight train and a Metrolink commuter rail passenger train collided head-on in the Chatsworth neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States.

The scene of the collision was a curved section of single track on the Metrolink Ventura County Line just east of Stoney Point. According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which investigated the cause of the collision, the Metrolink train ran through a red signal before entering a section of single track where the opposing freight train had been given the right of way by the train dispatcher. The NTSB blamed the Metrolink train's engineer, 46-year-old Robert M. Sanchez, for the collision, concluding that he was distracted by text messages he was sending while on duty.

This mass casualty event brought a massive emergency response by both the city and county of Los Angeles, but the nature and extent of physical trauma taxed the available resources. First responding officer Tom Gustofson described the wreck as “beyond human description”. Response included California Emergency Mobile Patrol Search and Rescue (CEMP) as a first responding unit requested by Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). With 25 deaths, this was the deadliest collision in Metrolink's history. Many survivors remained hospitalized for an extended period.

Lawyers quickly began filing claims against Metrolink. The collision launched and reinvigorated public debate on a range of topics including public relations, emergency management, and safety, which has driven various regulatory and legislative actions, including the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008.