Metrolink has agreed to pay out $30 million to settle claims arising from a 2005 train accident in Glendale that killed 11 people and injured 180. According to a news report in the Los Angeles Daily News, this settlement will resolve about 90 percent of the cases stemming from the derailment in which a commuter train struck a Jeep Cherokee abandoned on the tracks by Juan Manuel Alvarez, on January 26, 2005.

Claim Settlement

Victims and their families said Metrolink should be held liable for the wrongful deaths and personal injuries in this commuter rail crash because the train's engineer did not apply the brakes when he should have. However, Metrolink officials have maintained that this tragic accident was caused by Alvarez, not their engineer. This settlement takes care of wrongful death lawsuits and personal injury claims that arose from that fatal train crash.

Tragic Accident

Alvarez said his intention that day was to commit suicide, but that he changed his mind and left his vehicle on the tracks. He was convicted of 11 counts of first-degree murder and given 11 consecutive life sentences. This Metrolink fatal injury accident was followed by the 2008 Chatsworth Metrolink crash in which 25 people died and 135 were injured. This was the largest commuter train accident in California history. Investigators determined that the train's engineer in this accident was texting moments before the commuter train crashed into a freight train. The engineer, who also died in the crash, had missed a red signal.

Metrolink Safety Measures

The Glendale and Chatsworth Metrolink train accidents had safety advocates making a plea for safety measures. Metrolink reportedly has a far higher fatality rate than other transit system in the nation. After the Chatsworth accident, Metrolink installed video cameras in its locomotives. Plans are also being made to install Positive Train Control equipment by 2012.

I'm glad that many of the victims of the Glendale train accident and their families can finally move on. This will provide some closure for victims who have suffered serious personal injuries, although the families who have lost loved ones are still grieving. The new and proposed safety measures come too late for these catastrophically injured victims and the families of deceased victims. But we can only hope that the safety measures and new technology goes in place before another tragedy occurs and more lives are lost or ruined.

We are not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call a reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free confidential consultation to "not a fault" persons named in this article and their family members.