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CNN Live Today

New Pictures From Fatal Train Accident in Southern California

Aired April 24, 2002 - 10:55   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We have some new pictures to show you from yesterday's fatal train accident that took place in Southern California, near Anaheim. This is from a security camera that was right there. I want to explain to you what you're seeing. The commuter train, the Metrolink that was carrying over 260 passengers -- you can see the train, and then you can see how it says "Metrolink" on the side of the train there. It will come a stop, and then you're going to see the train move. That's the point of the collision with the freight train.

Our Thelma Guttierez is on the scene of the crash right now.

And, Thelma, as we look at these pictures from the security camera, can you tell us a little bit more about what we're seeing and what investigators hope to learn with the help of these pictures.

And actually, if I -- our viewers just saw, that's the collision taking place right there.

Go ahead.

THELMA GUTTIEREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, the surveillance tape that you're looking at, I want to show you where that tape came from. It actually came from a camera that was mounted right out here. If you can take a look, Daryn, there's a Self-Storage sign on a building right across the tracks. There is camera mounted on that building. The camera faces the railroad tracks.

As the train was going through, those pictures were captured right from that surveillance box.

Again, the cleanup crews have worked through the night. The railroad tracks out here are open right now. The Metrolink car that was involved in that collision is covered in plastic out here. It was moved off the tracks. The other freight car was moved out of here last night.

But, again, the surveillance video that you just saw few moments ago came from one of the cameras that's mounted on the building, looking toward this direction, and it was able to capture the impact of the two trains.

Daryn, back to you. KAGAN: That's incredible. So that camera was really there just to keep a watch on the storage facility, that Self-Storage facility that people are familiar with all over the country, and that would explain why from this side of the tracks it's reversed to what we saw yesterday. The commuter train being on the right side of the screen, and then the freight train being on the left side of the screen. We were watching yesterday, it was the other way around. And there, we're seeing it again with the impact.

Then once again, Thelma, for the information that we have that took place, the commuter train was stopped, and it was the freight train that ran into the commuter train, not to pointing the fingers of blame here. But physically, that's what took place.

GUTTIEREZ: Yes, according to one of the spokespeople who is out here for Metrolink. She says the Metrolink car was actually stopped. They don't know why it was actually stopped on the tracks. But it was the freight train that plowed into it. The Ezanear (ph) had tried to apply the brakes 2,100 feet before impact. It was able to slow that fright train up a bit. But the force was so great it actually moved, and it pushed the car all the way down, 370 feet down the tracks -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Thelma Guttierez in Anaheim, California. Thelma, thank you. And of course so important to find out exactly what took place. Two passengers lost their lives in that crash yesterday, more than 260 people were injured.

We're hear more from Thelma in just a little bit.

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