11 killed in California commuter rail crash
Suicidal man causes Metrolink train derailment in Los Angeles suburb. Death toll could rise.
A Metrolink commuter train derailed and hit two other trains in Glendale, Calif., at about 6 a.m. Wednesday, killing at least 11 people and injuring more than 100 others, some critically. The crash was caused when a Metrolink train collided with an SUV parked at a railway crossing. The train then derailed and hit an oncoming train as well as a parked Union Pacific train. News reports allege that the man responsible for parking the SUV on the tracks was attempting suicide. But as the train approached, he aborted the car and watched the crash from nearby. He was arrested at the scene and has been charged with 10 counts of murder under "special circumstances," according to the Los Angeles Times. Fire officials said the wreckage spanned more than a quarter of a mile. It was the deadliest rail accident in the U.S. since 1999.
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