It has been a long, hard, sorrowful day following the train disaster yesterday in Chatsworth, California. As a regular Metrolink rider, the emotional anquish and devastaion hits very close to home. We all know our conductors; we are familiar with our engineers; and we are neighbors with our fellow passengers. The tragedy which occurred Friday afternoon, and which has been attributed to human error, reminds me of the caution that must be used when trying to understand the meaning of such a determination - human error. Faulty signals, engineer fatigue, surrounding conditions (wind, haze, glare, etc.) are all suspect in the overall analysis of possible factors responsible for the worst train catastrophe in Los Angeles history. We may never know the actual cause but it is not unlikely that a personal calamity, such as a heart attack, seizure, choking, stroke, or other untimely infliction could have contributed to the inconceivable mortification and devastating loss experienced in that tortuous moment when two trains collided with unspeakable horror.
There were no surviving witnesses on the either train or in the surrounding vicinity who were able to observed the Metrolink engineer's reactions or behavior in the moments preceding the disaster. While there seems to be no aspersions cast, it is still unfair that there should be any hint of implication without supporting facts to determine otherwise. Tragically, the engineer might have been the victim of his own terrifying medical emergency that unfortunately lent itself to those disasterous consequences of astromomical proportions. My heart is broken and my mind aches for the familes and loved-ones who will continue to suffer indefinitely. I pray for sensitivity and compassion on all the victims of September 12, 2008.