Engineer in Metrolink Crash Dies In Hospital
The Metrolink engineer critically injured in last week’s crash and derailment has died.
Glenn Steele, 62 was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles just before 4 a.m. Tuesday.
Steele had more than 40 years of rail experience.
Jose Alejandro Sanchez Ramirez was driving the produce truck involved in the crash. Family hustled him away after he was released from jail last week. His lawyer alerted him Tuesday morning of the engineer’s passing.
“He was just very upset you could hear him sobbing on the phone. He is a nice man, he is a religious man and the thought that he could be involved in something that could lead to the loss of a life is hard for him to emotionally deal with. His prayers and thoughts are with Mr. Steele’s family,” said Rob Bamieh, the attorney representing Sanchez-Ramirez.
Bamieh claims his client was driving down Rice in Oxnard when he accidentally turned straight onto the tracks instead of onto Fifth Street. He says he kept going down the train tracks because he was trying to find a way off the tracks and that he ditched his car to try to look for help.
When the train’s engineer noticed the truck on the tracks, he tried to stop but it was already too late. The entire train derailedand 28 of the 50 people on board were taken to the hospital. The fact that someone has now died as a result of this crash could mean new charges for Sanchez-Ramirez.
“It could lead us to consider more charges than we would of considered before but it is too early to tell what charges might be appropriate,” said Michael Frawley with the Ventura County District Attorney’s office.
While the National Transportation Safety Board investigates the crash, the high-profile attorney representing Sanchez-Ramirez blames the city of Oxnard for failing to take steps to prevent the accident.
“We are hoping hopeful this will be the last death the city of Oxnard allows at this intersection. We have known for quite sometime that it is a dangerous intersection and we have had multiple losses of life at the same location. I think it is time for the city to take some proactive action and to stop the problem from every occurring again,” said Bamieh.
The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office is waiting to charge Sanchez-Ramirez until the investigation into exactly what happened is completed by the Oxnard Police Department as well as the NTSB. The NTSB says the investigation could take several weeks to a few months.
