Train Wreck

Yesterday afternoon I posted and then left for nearby Chatsworth.I was meeting another arcaheologist to look over an old excavation of a 19th century chinese labour campsite.
It is near the tunnel and I was apparently a few meters from discovering 'Shorty' Shea's remains, one of Charlie Manson's victims. A short walk over the tunnel, and you are in L.A. county viewing 'Stoney Point' famous movie location for countless shoots.
It was no film stunt as We watched the metro and a Santa Fe Frieght train collide.

I grabbed my car first aid kit, two blankets and ran down to the wreck. I helped a few people from the third car, my blankets covered two beyond help and my first aid kit was soon an empty nylon bag.
I watched Sherriff Deputy Eber, a passenger who immediately called in on his service radio helping others. He eventually collapsed with a broken clavical,sternum, ribs,hand and punctured leg wound.
I was soon pulled back as the emergency personel arrived in force. I gave my information and left.

The latest information is the Metro engineer went through the stop light beore the passing corridor on the horshoe turn. It also has been learned he was TEXT MESSAGING with some local train enthusiast kids who watch trains daily just before the collision and may have been distracted.

A few lessons I gathered for train travelors. Like an over the wing seat, the REARMOST compartment is the safest. The engine couldn't even be seen, telescoping back inside the first car and flipping on it's side.
The two deck units were slowly entered, and by enter I mean equipment to slowly dismantle with power tools, hand tools and by hand. Passengers in the upper decks were extricated first. Those below; injured, merely trapped or deceased WAITED.
People suffered multiple fractures, punctured lungs and facial trauma from being hurled from the impact. Cellphones were seen scattered everywhere. Again, Deputy Eber had his service radio holstered and secure.

Just a few observations. Now the inevitable connections as the dead and injured are found to be friends or relatives of people you know somehow.

Wow we saw it on the news up here but your description from being there was much more vivid. Terrible wreck, and just to think we had family leave from down there on a train a few days ago eeek.

I`m sure people appreciated your assistance.

Well done sir. It also just goes to show that no one will ever know when or where you can very quickly find yourself involved in a survival situation.

Paul -

You do have a knack of being in the right place at the right time, don't you? Good job!

Texting. They need to outlaw that stuff, it is killing people all over the place every day...

Thanks Chris for getting involved and your post.

I normally commute by bus and airplane. Good advice on where to set. I normally try to set over wing on the airplane and between the wheels on the bus. I need to do better at finding a way to keep my backpack with me in case of accident.

I hope you were treated better by the professionals than I when I responded to an accident two years ago. Sometimes the people in the shinny red trucks and black/white cars don't think anyone else knows anything, unless you are in uniform. I was surprised that I had to show id before they would take my inputs seriously.

Spud

As a former black and white driver, I was more than happy to have folks not in uniform stop to help me. I asked their level of training, if it looked/sounded as if they knew what they were doing, I left them to it, even supplying them with my EMT kit. I would rather measure skidmarks, or give FST's to the drunk who caused that mess, any day...

Well done, Chris.

As said texting...

OldBaldGuy,
Sorry for my rank.

Spud

The AP is reporting that the MTA is now laying the blame on the engineer, without benefit of any investigation. They apparently took the word of a teenager who claimed he was text messaging the engineer shortly before the incident occurred.

Talk about a rush to judgement. In the same report blaming the engineer they, the MTA, also state that it will take up to a year to give a final report.

So within 24 hours they know it was their driver but it will take a year to sort out the details?

Pardon the expression but they've literally thrown their own employee under the bus.

In the same AP report, not a word from anyone from Santa Fe about blame.

Good work on the rescue efforts Mr. Kavanaugh.

Even it turns out to be operator error, would it have hurt the MTA's already battered public persona any worse to wait until even the most preliminary investigation was started before blaming the guy who died at the controls?

John E

sounds like you had a day in hell..i only hope i could do half as well if called on..

JohnE Nobody is looking for a scapegoat in someone beyond defending themselves. The driver in fact has been described as a very diligent and 12 year experienced engineer. The young people involved came forward, no small bearing of possible responsibility for this tragedy. They have text messages and a photo of the engineer drivng past posted on their blog- a blog he contributed to. It MAY BE he had a momentary lapse of his usual attentiveness. How many of us have done something REALLY DUMB in an automobile?

KNOWING how something happened and understanding WHY are two different things.

I remember an interview with Colonel Olds, a Vietnam USAF fighter pilot who downed 4 Migs before being pullled off the line.Olds had flown P51s in WW2, F 86s Korea and finished pushing a big old THUD over Hanoi.In the interview he was asked what he did differently. Olds immediately replied that on the tarmac waiting to take off he would start switching OFF all kinds of systems that were more distraction than aid.

I can bet easy money cellphones and other personal communications will be banned from the engine compartment.

Cellphone usage is already against the rules for Metrolink engineers.

My point was that Metrolink is laying the blame on the engineer without benefit of an investigation. Doesn't matter who came forward, who posted to what blog or who's picture is posted anywhere. There is NO POSSIBLE WAY that the brain trust at the MTA can state with certainty that it was the engineer's fault this soon after the accident. Yet that's what they've already done. The how and the why should come AFTER the investigation, wouldn't you agree?

The engineer is a contracted worker, by blaming him, and by extension, the company that employs him, the MTA is most likely simply laying the groundwork for a legal defense against the inevitable lawsuits that will be filed. Unlike them, I don't know that to be the case so I won't state it as a fact.

Even if the engineer ends up being the guy who make an awful mistake, hell even if he is proven to be the worst engineer in train operating history, he deserves the absolute minimum of presumed innocence before being publicly pilloried by a mouthpiece from the MTA.

Kudos to all the rescuers. That must have been a horrible event to witness.

John E

Thanks for the report, and more importantly, for getting involved, Chris.

On a weekend day, I'd often lounge at a small park next to the train tracks and watch a number of Metrolink trains rumble by in either direction. Kind of addicting waiting for them, actually.

Like the Metrolink derailment a few years ago where the guy who parked his SUV on the tracks to kill himself but chicken'd out at the last minute and ran away, leaving his vehicle to derail...two trains, was it? Anyway, this incident may revive the debate about the push-pull trains, if that's the correct term.

That is, the locomotive would pull the train when heading in one direction, but for the return trip, the locomotive would push the train from the rear. In yesterday's horrific accident, the locomotive was in front. I would image that the carnage would have been even greater had the oncoming freight train smashed straight into a passenger car rather than the Metrolink's locomotive.

Many people who ride commuter trains tend to sit in the same place day after day. They often become friends with other passengers who also tend to sit in the same area. Kind of a hard habit to break if you're already used to sitting in the first car, and your commuting buddies sit there, too. But that's a couple really bad Metrolink accidents in recent memory where sitting anywhere besides the first car would have probably saved your life.

Outstanding.

Perhaps the quick expenditure of your available blankets points toward a good use for the Mylar 'space blankets'. They are very light, compact and fairly inexpensive. All of which would allow you to easily carry a good number of them as an adjunct to thicker blankets.

They reflect heat and block wind but aren't very good at all at stopping heat loss by conduction. But for covering a body or adding insulation to a person with some clothing already on they work pretty well.

Generally multiple casualty situations highlight the need for depth in a first-aid kit. IMHO it is better to have a great many of a few basic types and sizes of bandaging materials rather than just one or two of each and a wider selection. Larger is generally more useful than smaller because larger units can be cut or folded to fit. The smaller ones are hard to stretch.

And that's why I always in a rear-facing seat in the back-section of the train.

JIM, why would you want rear-facing?

I ride in a 40 person sleeper bus several times a year going on backpack trips out of Dallas, Tx, and can't help but think how bad it would be in an accident with nobody belted in. Everyone is lying flat in upper and lower bunks with a center isle.

You done good Chris. Very good.

The back of the train is a great place to be, unless the train gets hit from behind by another.

That's because when the train crashes and you're in a rear-facing seat, you get pushed into your seat instead of beeing thrown out of it. This results in less damage from being thrown out and less chance of a C-spine injury.


Ever wondered why on an airplane, the flight-attendants have rear-facing seats

Not a problem. I realize that not all in uniform use common sense all the time, or ever in some cases...

"...The how and the why should come AFTER the investigation, wouldn't you agree?..."

Yup...

Talk about being in the right place at an unfortunate time, most people could not have held it together and done that. You did good.

As for where to sit, the rear cars will almost always be the safest. Even if hit by an overtaking train from the rear, the velocity delta isn't even close to that of a head on collision.

While there's a good chance that Metrolink is correct in their, "We want to be honest in our appraisal," and be "open with the community", it also seems highly likely that at least part of their intent is getting out front of the lawsuit(s). (what if, when they pull all the cellphone records, they find he wasn't texting at the time of the incident? )

In the end the NTSB report is the only one that will matter regarding blame. If it's anything like an aircraft accident investigation, they'll know how much sleep he had, when he had his last drink if he drinks and if he was upset with his wife if he was married. If he was texting they'll find that cellphone and all the service provider records. They'll also know if all the mechanical systems worked or if something failed. There will be no rush to judgment in the report that matters.

"...a great many of a few basic types and sizes of bandaging materials..."

4x4's, lots and lots of 4x4's, and a way to make them stay on...

The US Air Force went to rearward facing seats on many (most/all?) of its transports years ago, for that very reason...

Thank you for your help Chris, I'm sure the many people hurt are very grateful you were there.

Chris can I ask: from your car first aid kit, for this mass casualty situation, what would you wish you had more of to treat the wounded?

I maintain mass casualty treatment bags besides my FAK in my home, car and office, hopefully never to be used but they're there - lots of 4x4s, Kerlix, Coban wrap, tape, tape, gloves, shears, markers, ABD pads, a number of triangle bandages; a couple OLAES bandages because I had them, a SOF-T tourniquet on the off chance, and an Asherman's chest seal because its smallish and an EMT may know how and when to apply tourn or chest seal (I am at best marginally trained for them and until I am would trust in the 'apply pressure' maxim for the duration). 25 cheap rain ponchos, a couple AMK bivvy sacks to provide warmth to the immobile. Also a 24" pry bar to help with minor extractions (jammed doors). It mostly fills an Eddie Bauer carry on bag but is organized enough to find what I need. I could open this up most likely after an earthquake for a building collapse (falling ceilings, crush injuries) when we would be on our own for a while before responders could arrive, although a train derailment is only a mile away. No meds, no poviodine, very little that expires, I can replenish in bulk from supplies as needed. It represents alot of blood stopping and immobilization (most of my current training), the FAK is for treating everyday issues.

The latest information is one of the switch tracks was not closed, apparently forced out of position by the train.There are a series of 3 seperate lights and the system is also being checked. I am just updating what I hear, as a local story is often condensed elsewhere.

One passenger in the third car, from my town walked away without a scratch. He was sitting rearward, adding he was fatigued and actually slumped down. He said rear facing passengers were also flung around.

This could have been much worse. Had it occurred earlier, nearby houses would have been impacted ( as it was, nearby residents rushed over with towels, water etc and helped.)A little farther on and it could have been inside the tunnel.

The nearby High School made a excellent command and triage center.I think within minutes we had the first of nearly 500 emergency personel from various departments on scene. So my early efforts were quickly superfluous. It was a CHiP I know told me to clear out, which I of course did.

When the engines hit, both sent towering black plumes of smoke and there was a brief fire. That probably hastened the natural reaction for those who were mobile or even seriously injured to escape the cars. In retrospect, I wonder if the rule ' do no harm' was violated moving some of the injured.

My kit is ( was- this stuff goes fast!) real 'bread and butter' and nothing like some of the kits members have shared. I go with 4x4s and big bandages. Part of this is simple economics, and part having horses. You learn the KISS principle early on and not to have a lot of 'stuff' a DVM or MD has to clean up just to see the injury. My salves are mostly saline solution. I know lots of my bulk kit was quickly tossed to medics. A big battle dressing or unopend 500 pack of 4x4s isn't going to be scrutinised by a EMT like a controlled pharamaceutical.

One thing I've observed with mass disasters is the need to COMMUNICATE. People are crying for help and you need to address multiple needs. I think a simple ' We're here, hold on just a few minutes' Is the best first aid of all. Many passengers 'linked' with civilian helpers who stayed with just one victim, comforted them, called family members and brought them water.

One of the deceased, a 19 y/o girl on her last ride taken for a design class was one of the last accounted for. her poor sister was waiting in Moorpark the last stop and knew something was wrong. She had to stay all night and into the day at the High School waiting for word. That's when community really needs to respond.

The RR crews that I haul around say that the RRs always blame the engineer first. He/she tends to be seen as guilty before any real facts are discovered. And it's easier when they're dead.

When that freight derailed in Portland a few months ago, my crews were shocked that the engineer wasn't blamed immediately. But, since the train derailed somewhere in the middle, the first assumption was a bad rail.

Sue

Latest news.

The "spokesperson" for the MTA who was so quick to blame the engineer has now either resigned from or been fired by the MTA, depending on who's story you believe.

Services for the police officer killed on the train are scheduled for Thursday in downtown Los Angeles.

The first of what are bound to be many claims against the MTA has already been filed as a precursor to a wrongful death lawsuit by the family of one of the victims.

The investigation continues...

John E

Thanks Chris...for both the report and more importantly the fine work....

About the 'first do no harm' rule....Safety always comes first.....if we see a 'plume' from the engine....I know that I am not waiting around to see if 'something' happens. Yes we always try to do no harm....but even that gets 'moved' to second place sometimes......ATLS/PHTLS/BTLS/ITLS or whatever they are calling it now....still stresses safety first.....granted they say to use the 'rapid extrication' technique to move a patient if safety is a concern.....but they also understand there are exceptions.....I had one......MVA overturn into a canal and the driver was being 'pulled' out of his car...cardiac arrest. C-spine precautions....there were none.....he was in a canal 9 feet deep with a 70 degree embankment....yes we could have 'packaged' him....but as my instructors use to say....Nicely packaged corpse....

Sometimes the rules get suspended.....