Metrolink will add a second engineer to some of its commuter trains in an effort to increase safety following a collision with a freight train that killed 25 people and injured 135 others, according to published reports.  The change comes just weeks after the September 12 collision in Chatsworth in which an engineer failed to stop at a signal and collided head-on with a freight train, officials said.

The measure is temporary, and Metrolink officials are working toward permanent safety improvements, the railroad said. 

Metrolink has been under pressure since the collision to improve its safety measures.  Its board voted unanimously to appoint a panel of experts to recommend safety improvements, equip cabs with video cameras to monitor crew members and install automatic braking devices.  The railroad will also start performing background checks on its new engineers.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the September 12 crash. 

If you or someone you know was injured in the Los Angeles train derailment, call or write an experienced personal injury attorney at The Gomez Law Firm today.

The manufacturer of a tire that was scattered across the South Carolina runway where a plane crashed last week, leaving four people dead and two musicians seriously injured, says it is cooperating with investigators. 

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. manufactured the tire on the Learjet that crashed on takeoff last Friday.  A cockpit voice recorder revealed that the crew believed the tire blew while the plane was speeding down the runway.  The plane was returning to California following a concert.

Pilot Sarah Lemmon, 31, of Anaheim Hills, Calif., co-pilot James Bland, 52, of Carlsbad, Calif., Chris Baker, 29, of Studio City, Calif., and Charles Still, 25, of Los Angeles were killed in the crash.  Former Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker and DJ AM were badly burned in the crash.  The two men escaped the burning plane by sliding down a wing, local officials said.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators planned to return to Washington on Thursday to continue working to determine the cause of the crash.

If you or someone you know was injured in a plane crash, call or write an experienced personal injury attorney at The Gomez Law Firm today.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into the September 12 train crash near Los Angeles could take a year to complete, officials said.

Twenty-five people were killed and 135 others injured when a Metrolink passenger train collided with a freight train near Chatsworth, Calif. 

The NTSB’s final report will identify the likely cause of the crash and give recommendations that address other contributing factors.  The agency says that, historically, 84% of its recommendations have been adopted by the railroad industry. 

Investigators will determine how each victim died and will also examine whether the crashworthiness of the passenger cars played a role in the deaths and injuries. 

Meanwhile, Metrolink is offering a refund to those customers who purchased monthly or 10-Trip tickets before September 13 and no longer want to ride the Ventura County Line.

If you or someone you know was injured in the Los Angeles train derailment, call or write an experienced personal injury attorney at The Gomez Law Firm today.

We all hear about the struggling economy, the collapsing banks, and the potential government bailout of financial institutions. To many people, these topics, while important, are abstract and distant. However, one economic indicator hits much closer to home: unemployment.

The Department of Labor reports that the unemployment rate rose from 5.7 to 6.1 percent in August, with the number of unemployed persons rising by 592,000 to 9.4 million. Over the past 12 months, the number of unemployed persons has increased by 2.2 million with most of the increase occurring between May and August.

If you have lost your job and feel you have been the victim of unlawful discrimination, you must contact an employment law attorney immediately. The experienced attorneys at The Gomez Law Firm will evaluate your potential case at no charge.

There are various deadlines and statutes of limitations that apply to the filing of lawsuits in California.  Failure to comply with those deadlines may forever bar you from pursuing your claim. 

A cockpit voice recording device revealed that the crew believed a tire on the plane blew as the plane sped down the runway for takeoff, according to federal officials.  The pilot and co-pilot tried to stop the plane before it careened off the runway.   

The plane ripped through a fence, crossed a highway and landed in an embankment a quarter-mile form the end of the runway, engulfed in flames, officials said. The National Transportation Safety Board was investigating the crash.

Pieces of tire were recovered approximately 2,800 feet from the point the plane started its takeoff. 

The Learjet was owned by Global Exec Aviation, a California-based charter company, officials said.

Pilot Sarah Lemmon, 31, of Anaheim Hills, Calif., co-pilot James Bland, 52, of Carlsbad, Calif., Chris Baker, 29, of Studio City, Calif., and Charles Still, 25, of Los Angeles were killed in the crash.

Barker and DJ AM suffered second and third-degree burns but were expected to recover.  The two men had performed at a free concert in Columbia, South Carolina Friday night, and the plane was returning to California.

If you or someone you know was injured in a plane crash, call or write an experienced personal injury attorney at The Gomez Law Firm today.

The California Public Utilities Commission has bypassed normal procedures and imposed an immediate ban on the use of all wireless devices by certain train employees.  The vote came nearly one week after 25 people were killed and at least 130 others injured when a Metrolink passenger train collided with a freight train near Los Angeles.

Rail crew members including engineers, conductors and brakemen would be prohibited from using wireless devices while on duty.  There is an exception for emergencies, but the train must be stopped, and the rail crew member must receive permission from superiors. 

The state Public Utilities Commission said its action was spurred by the Metrolink crash and other train crashes this summer in which cell phone use may have been a factor. 

If you or someone you know was injured in the Los Angeles train derailment, call or write an experienced personal injury attorney at The Gomez Law Firm today.

The engineer of a Metrolink train that collided with a freight train last Friday near Los Angeles was sending text messages while he was working, according to federal investigators. 

Twenty-five people were killed and at least 130 others were injured in the collision.  Authorities have said the engineer, Robert Sanchez, failed to stop at a red signal.  The investigation into the crash is ongoing.

The California Public Utilities Commission was scheduled to vote Thursday on an emergency order that would ban the use of cell phones while operating trains.  Metrolink already has a policy prohibiting employees from using cell phones while working.  

If you or someone you know was injured in the Los Angeles train derailment, call or write an experienced personal injury attorney at The Gomez Law Firm today.

The engineer of a Metolink passenger train that collided with a freight train last Friday near Los Angeles never applied the train’s brakes before the impact, according to authorities.  Tests conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed that the passenger train and the freight train were in each other’s view for four to five seconds before the crash.

The passenger train’s engineer, Robert Sanchez, was working a 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. split shift.  Sanchez slept during a 3 1/2 hour break and started working again at 2 p.m., officials said.  The crash occurred a few hours later, killing 25 people and injuring more than 135 others.

If you or someone you know was injured in the Los Angeles train derailment, call or write an experienced personal injury attorney at The Gomez Law Firm today.

U.S. Sen. Diane Feinstein and California Sen. Barbara Boxer hope to push new legislation through Congress that would prevent crashes between freight trains and passenger trains.  Congress recesses at the end of next week.

The legislation comes on the heels of the Sept. 12 collision between a communter train and a freight train near Los Angeles.  Twenty-five people were killed in what is being called the most deadly train crash in modern California history. 

The legislation would require railroad companies to install technology that would automatically apply a train’s brakes if the operator fails to stop at a signal or goes off-track. 

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the three signals that should have warned the engineer of the Metrolink commuter train on Friday that it was approaching a freight train appear to have been working and visible.  The engineer ran a red signal and crossed a switching mechanism at 42 miles per hour, bending the switch.

The NTSB has subpoenaed phone records from Verizon Wireless to determine whether the engineer was sending text messages while operating the train.  A Metrolink spokeswoman resigned Monday after publicly stating that the crash was caused by the engineer.

If you or someone you know was injured in the Los Angeles train derailment, call or write an experienced personal injury attorney at The Gomez Law Firm today.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will assist the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in investigating the cause of the Sept. 12, 2008 train derailment near Los Angeles. 

Nine federal rail safety experts will travel to the scene.  They will be accompanied by the FRA’s second-ranking official, Deputy Administrator Cliff Eby, who will oversee the FRA’s operations.

At least 135 people were injured when a Ventura County Line passenger train collided head-on with a freight train.  Officials for the passenger train had said that the collision was caused by the engineer’s error.  However, the NTSB has characterized those statements as premature. 

If you or someone you know was injured in the train derailment, call or write an experienced personal injury attorney at The Gomez Law Firm today.