Questions still remain following Southern California train crash
Investigators are trying to piece together the cause of a major train derailment in Southern California last week. On Tuesday, 50 people were injured when a double-decker Metrolink commuter train derailed in Oxnard after running into a truck that was parked on the tracks at a crossing.
After the accident, the driver of the truck was found walking but “in distress” more than a mile from where the derailment occurred, Reuters reported. At this point, it is unclear why the driver left the truck on the tracks, but his lawyer said that he left the crash scene in order to find help.
The truck driver’s attorney called the incident “an accident,” and said that though his client has been arrested for drunk driving in the past, there was no reason to believe that he was intoxicated at the time of last week’s incident.
Needless to say, investigators will look into whether alcohol or drugs may have played a role in the crash. Video footage of the collision from the forward-facing cameras on the train has been sent to the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington for analysis.
Although the public and those involved would like immediate answers to what happened, it will likely be weeks or months before the National Transportation Safety Board, the federal agency that investigates train crashes, releases any conclusions.
With so many questions in the air following major accidents like this one, victims often don’t know where to turn for help or who to trust. To make sure that their interests and rights are protected, it’s important for accident victims to contact an experienced and reputable personal injury lawyer.