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Investigators concluded this morning that witness statements were unreliable and that, based on evidence, the Metrolink engineer ran the red light, putting the train on a head-on collision course with a Union Pacific train, according to the LA Times.
"The Metrolink train passes the signal at Topanga; it is displaying a red stop indication," explains a detailed animation of the collision, which can be seen on the National Trasportation Safey Board's website. "Phone records show that by 4:22:01 the engineer has sent a text message in response to the message he just received... Event recorder data indicate that there was no braking on the Metrolink train, but the emergency brakes on the Union Pacific train were activated about 2 seconds before the collision."
25 people died and 135 were injured in the crash.
