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$200 Million Chatsworth Metrolink Settlement Expected to be Approved Today
A closeup from the rescue effort (more photos here) | Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist
Nearly two years to the date, a judge today is expected to sign off on a $200 million settlement that would go to family members and survivors of fatal Metrolink train crash in Chatsworth. On the afternoon of Friday, September 12th, 2008 a Metrolink train headed to Ventura County crashed head-on with a Union Pacific freight train, killing 25 people and injuring 125 more.
Whether $200 million is enough or not, that is the federal cap on passenger rail accidents, but more than 100 lawsuits are still pending in courts.
The National Transportation Safety Board earlier this year found that the engineer, who died, was texting when he ran a red light warning him not to proceed down the single-track section.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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