Nine people were injured on Friday when a Metro Blue Line light rail train en route to Long Beach collided with a car just south of Downtown L.A. The incident occurred near Flower Street and 18th Street around 2:52pm when a sedan crossed into the train's path. more ›

A high school and an elementary school have been closed temporarily after two trains collided in the Colton area, reports KTLA. The accident involved a train running east-west and another running north-south, and took place at about 2:15 this morning. Six cars jumped the tracks, including three carrying carrying ferric or ferric chloride and hot asphalt. more ›

Treated at the scene by the Alhambra Fire Department paramedics, both officers were immediately rushed to Huntington Memorial Hospital. Stringer died at the hospital from his injuries. Officer Juan Carlos Mejia, 27, remains in stable condition. more ›

One of the two police officers involved in a collision during a funeral procession for another officer died of his injuries Thursday, according to L.A. Now. Hawthorne Officer Andrew Garton, 44, died while being treated at Harbor UCLA Medical Center. He had been riding on his motorcycle as part of the procession for Manhattan Beach's Officer Mark Vasquez, who died of cancer. more ›

0-year-old woman was arrested yesterday after a three-month investigation showed she was texting when she drove through a stop sign and struck and killed an 80-year old Glendale resident. The arrest prompted Glendale mayor Ara Najarian to voice concern that Glendale is suffering from a "distracted driver epidemic," according to Glendale News-Press. Over 2,300 traffic collisions have occurred in Glendale in the past year. 660 resulted in injuries, six were fatal, and sixty-four of these reported collisions involved pedestrians. more ›

A Union Pacific train collided with an abandoned car on the railroad tracks in Palmdale early Saturday morning closing down east-west tracks for several hours. The L.A. County Sheriff's Department is searching for the owner of the abandoned vehicle to determine if the car was "stolen, broken down or left purposely on the tracks," according to KTLA. No injuries on the train were reported. more ›

10 people were injured when two roller coaster trains collided in the station of the Pony Express ride at Knott's Berry Farm on Thursday, according to the Daily News, and now the theme park says state inspectors and the ride's manufacturer will be checking out the ride next week. more ›

A 26-year-old man was charged with murder today after his involvement in a weekend crash that left a 13-year-old girl dead. The incident happened Saturday after 5 p.m. when Emily Rose Shane left a friends house and was walking on Pacific Coast Highway near Heathercliff Drive. A 2008 four-door Mitsubishi Lancer, driven by a 26-year-old San Fernando Valley man, struck Rose before hitting a power pole and turning over, according to ABC7. more ›

A collision involving a Metrolink train and a Union Pacific maintenance truck has left one dead and two injured, according to LA Now. The train was bound for San Bernardino from Union Station, and collided with the truck at around 9:20 a.m. when it reached the crossing at Temple Avenue, located near the 605 Freeway where the City of Industry meets unincorporated Bassett. of the over 130 people on board, two were taken to area hospitals while the rest were detoured by bus. The driver of the maintenance truck was killed. more ›

We may be getting a refreshing dose of rain this morning--the first of two storms--but out in San Bernardino County, it's a snow day (!!!) for kids at one of seven schools in the Rim of the World Unified School District. As for chances of snow seen in Los Angeles, levels could drop to as low as 1,500 feet. more ›

Two buses traveling on the 405 Freeway North collided at approximately 9:40 this morning near the Venice exit. According to abc7.com, "at least 10 fire paramedic units were sent to a parking lot just off the 405 Freeway, at the National Boulevard offramp, following the crash," to treat "24 children with minor injuries." A steady stream of emergency vehicles moving from the scene of the rear-end collision to the parking lot of Ross Dress For Less continued for more than an hour afterward, as paramedics worked to treat the many kids who suffered injuries in the incident. To deal with the traffic chaos on the streets, "Los Angeles city transportation officers were sent to that intersection to direct traffic." more ›

In the wake of the deadly Chatsworth train crash where a Metrolink commuter train and Union Pacific freight train crashed head on killing 25 and injuring 135, technology called positive train control that detects and shut down trains heading towards each other will be installed by 2012, three years before federal law will require them to do so, Bottleneck Blog reports after a hearing today in Van Nuys. more ›

The Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2007 (H.R. 2095) passed out of the differences committee (that's where senators and representatives work out differences in the versions of the bill each chamber approved and before it goes to the President) tonight in Washington D.C. "House and Senate negotiators have reached a deal on a major railroad safety reform bill that will require new technology to prevent crashes and limit hours engineers can work," the Associated Press reported. more ›

This morning's empty Metro Bus vs. southbound Metro Blue Line train crash left 13 people with minor injuries around 6:15 a.m. near Washington Boulevard and Griffith Avenue. Since its opening in 1990, the Metro Blue Line has had an atrocious record, demonstrated by the Bottleneck Blog's information request. There have been 652 train vs. vehicle incidents leaving 26 dead and 169 train vs. pedestrian leaving 64 dead. This all totals up to 821 incidents/accidents for the Metro Blue Line. Keep in mind that all a train operator can do in these cases is apply the breaks if a person decides to cross the tracks at the wrong time. more ›

After the National Transportation Safety Board heard that teenagers were claiming Metrolink Engineer Robert Sanchez was texting with them moments before the crash, they subpoenaed his cell phone records but were wary saying a similar claim in a Boston crash was made and ended up being false. But these claims were true the NTSB announced on Wednesday night. more ›

"The LAFD Dispatch Center received hundreds of 9-1-1 calls for assistance at the collision site, in addition to their normal call volume... The Los Angeles Fire Department has received dozens of requests for the release of the 9-1-1 tapes related to the Metrolink incident. Since it would take hundreds of hours to assemble, edit and distribute this information, the probability of fulfilling this request within a reasonable period of time would be doubtful. Therefore, the LAFD has assembled a small sampling of 9-1-1 calls which are reflective of the type of calls being received during this event." The three audio samples can be heard here: one, two, three.
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Unfortunately we've been here twice already this year. First with Randall Simmons who was killed during a SWAT operation in the Valley. Then firefighter Brent Loverin died when a manhole exploded near LAX. Tomorrow will be host to our third funeral for Spree Desha, who died off duty in uniform when she was commuting home on Metrolink Train #111 that crashed head on with a Union Pacific freight train killing at least 26. more ›

Metrolink used their Twitter account to announce the reopening of the Ventura Line shortly after 4:00 p.m. today. After Friday's deadly crash, a bus bridge helped transport commuters between the Chatsworth and Moorpark stations. more ›

National Transportation Safety Board investigators continue their probe into Friday's deadly crash that has killed 26 people so far. Tests are so far suggesting that it may have been human error. His cell phone records are being subpoenaed to further look into claims from teen friends that Metrolink engineer Robert Sahchez was texting with them a minute before the crash. more ›

At least 18 were killed and 135 injured (about 100 of those were taken to hospitals) in yesterday's head-on collision between a Metrolink commuter train and a freight train in Chatsworth, according to officials. The death toll was expected to rise as heavy equipment lifts the downed locomotive this morning, said Metrolink spokesperson Denise Tyrrell. more ›

• Metrolink train #111 on the Ventura Line departed from Union Station and was headed to Moorpark; the train had left the Chatsworth station when it struck or was struck by a Union Pacific freight car at 4:23 p.m. near Heather Lee Lane, south of the 118 Freeway. The fire that ignited after the collision was quickly put out, and any concerns of hazardous materials were resolved early on.
• The LAPD is saying they believe at least 20 people are dead; an estimated 50-70 people are reported as injured. The train is estimated to have had 350-400 passengers on board. According to Mayor Villaraigosa, who spoke to the press just after 8 tonight, there were 10 confirmed dead and the number is expected to grow.
• Rescue operations are ongoing as of this time and have not yet converted to recovery, although the dogs trained to search out the deceased have been deployed.
• The LAPD issued a city-wide full tactical alert, and the rescue and aid operations have involved personnel from multiple local agencies. The LAFD is leading the unified command.
• Triage areas set up near the scene were said to be operating as expected and worked efficiently to assess the injured into 3 major categories and administer care or arrange for transport to hospitals all over the city, as needed. Victims were taken to multiple hospitals, including Northridge, Holy Cross, Cedars Sinai, and Children's Hospital.
• Family members seeking information regarding relatives on board the train may call 800-371-5465.
• Rescue work is ongoing, and is expected to continue into the night.
• An MTA Metrolink structural engineer has been called in to discuss movement of the overturned car and the separation of the affected rail cars

Metrolink Train #111, traveling from Union Station to Moorpark on the Ventura Line, collided with a freight train near Heather Lee Lane and the 118 Freeway in Chatsworth just before 4:30 this afternoon. The collision is being described as "head on" and both trains appeared to be on the same track. more ›

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If you were going to Comic-Con or just heading towards San Diego, today's truck crash/fire was not helpful (should have taken the train, the Surfliner to San Diego is a beautiful and chill ride). This morning, "a Vons big rig crashed into a disabled vehicle on southbound Interstate 5 near Pulgas Road, flipped over and burst into flames... leaving all but one lane of southbound I-5 blocked for hours," according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Apparently, Vons was "en route" to "recover their product." Okay, then. Look out for any pre-charred ribs the next time you're at Vons. more ›

Not only were six people injured in a collision in Pacific Palisades this morning when an ambulance was involved in a collision, but now more Los Angeles first-responders have been involved in crashes. Shortly after 2:00 a.m. this morning, an LAPD squad car traveling on Westbound 118 collided with another car, prompting the shutdown of all lanes on that side of the freeway. As of 8:30 this morning, only the car pool and lane #1 were open. The officers were sent to the hospital with unknown injuries and no one else is reported to be hurt. more ›

Ron Meyers of the LAFD reported this afternoon that a collision took place on the 6th Street Bridge downtown around 3:30pm and left nine injured. Plumes of smoke could be seen from a distance immediately following the collision. Three involved in the accident sustained critical injuries, six sustained minor injuries and all parties were taken to local hospitals. more ›

Photo by kpe II via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
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Two Sunday afternoon small-aircraft flights turned deadly yesterday when the planes collided mid-air over Corona, sending bodies and debris flying through the air and onto parking lots below and killing five people. more ›

At 10 a.m. this morning, a big rig carrying a cargoload of tires collided with a sedan causing the southbound 5 Freeway to shut down for hours. Read the full story on LAist from earlier today here. More photos of the incident after this post's jump.
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