http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/06/22/washington.subway.crash/index.html Two Metro subway trains collided between stations north of downtown Washington, D.C., during afternoon rush hour Monday, killing at least two people, a Metro representative said. advertisement The crash occurred just before 5 p.m. on an above-ground track on the Red Line near Takoma Park, Maryland. At least nine people have been hurt, a Metro representative said, according to CNN affiliate WJLA. -------------------------------------------------------------- So far 2 fatalities.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/getthere/?hpid=topnews "There will obviously be a very thorough investigation into what caused this derailment," said Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein. She said there were "many serious injuries" and that passengers were being taken to hospitals."Our hearts are with the families of those who have passed," she said. Avoid the Red Line. It is Metro's busiest, and this will cause a large and long backup at the height of rush hour.Trains are operating between Glenmont and Brookland and between Shady Grove and Brookland. Metro says that shuttle bus service has been requested to bridge the gap between Takoma and Brookland, but any bus bridge is quickly overwhelmed by the passengers from just a couple of trains. Metrobuses up 16th Street and up Georgia Avenue can get people to Silver Spring. The Green Line is operating to Geenbelt, but is extra crowded. Casey Anderson, a Red Line rider bound for Silver Spring, said his train had been stopped near New York Avenue. Passengers were receiving little information. The train went up to Rhode Island Avenue Station, where passengers got off. "So far, they're just off loading the trains," Anderson said. He's getting on an inbound train back to Union Station, where he's going to try to find a cab, or perhaps get his bike, for the trip home.
I was thinking the same. It looks pretty bad, I'm watching the live thing on CNN.com and they are reporting that both trains were headed in the same direction, I just wonder how it could have happened then... was someone asleep in the front? How do you not know how to use emergency brakes? This isn't japan where you have 200-300 MPH metro rails that it'd be really hard to stop, these trains couldn't have been going more than 70 MPH...
just to update, last i heard, 4 dead, but they expected at least 3 more.. and they said the first car was "crushed like a tin can", so you could very well expect more fatalities as the evening goes on and they bring the dogs in So as is typical, a train ahead was a bit delayed and still at a station, so the train behind stopped on the track. This is normal and happens every day.. But for whatever reason, the 3rd train in line never stopped. So it came up behind the stopped train and just ran right into it and went up and over. One of the people dead so far is the metro operator of that 3rd car.. no one knows yet why he/she didn't stop. (Personally I'm wondering if he/she was already having medical issues or something, resulting in the accident.. but if so, i'm guessing it'll eventually come out)
Death toll rises to 9 in D.C. Metro crash WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The death toll climbed to nine in a rush-hour collision between two Metro trains in Washington on Monday, with scores more injured, CNN affiliates reported. WJLA and WUSA attributed the information to officials for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Commuter traffic along the Red Line, where the crash happened, will be "severely" affected Tuesday, officials said. By late Monday, emergency crews had switched to recovery operations after halting rescue efforts. One of the dead was the operator of one of the trains, transit authority officials said. The National Transportation Safety Board was investigating. The crash occurred just before 5 p.m. on an above-ground track in the District of Columbia near the border with Takoma Park, Maryland. Both trains were on the same track, and one of them was stationary when the crash happened, said John Catoe, Metro general manager. A total of 76 people were treated for injuries at the scene, including two with life-threatening injuries, said Chief Dennis Rubin of the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department for the District of Columbia. Two of the injured were emergency responders, Rubin said. Four people were taken to Providence Hospital in Washington, including two with back injuries, one with a hip injury and one complaining of dizziness from hitting her head, hospital officials said. Washington Hospital Center said it had received seven patients from the crash with non-life-threatening injuries, ranging from serious to minor. One person needed surgery. Howard University Hospital reported three patients from the crash and Suburban Hospital in Maryland said it had two. http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/06/23/washington.metro.crash/index.html
