For the second time in 10 days, a motorist was injured in a collision with a Gold Line train after crashing through lowered fiberglass crossing gates along the route between Los Angeles and Pasadena, raising anew the issue of safety along commuter lines running through heavily populated areas.
The crash Friday morning at Avenue 50 and Marmion Way injured six people, including the driver of a Toyota RAV-4 who tried to outrun the train, ignoring flashing signals and ringing bells, authorities said, citing witness reports.
Bystanders pulled the woman from her small SUV before it burst into flames, officials said. The driver, who was not identified, is in stable condition at Huntington Hospital, authorities said.
"We don't know why she did not stop at the gate," said V.J. Khawani, director of corporate safety for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. "Why do people go through red traffic signals and not stop? I really don't know."
On Sept. 11, a Gold Line train hit a Ford pickup, injuring seven people including the driver, during morning rush hour at Avenue 55 and Marmion Way in Highland Park, just blocks from the scene of Friday's crash. Witnesses reported seeing the pickup try to beat the crossing gates at the intersection, said Sheriff's Lt. Ron Kegel.
The crashes -- the only serious injury accidents on the Gold Line since it opened in July 2003 -- come as the state Public Utilities Commission, which oversees the safety of rail crossings, scrutinizes the proposed light-rail Expo Line.
Concern about the potential for serious accidents along the Expo Line between downtown Los Angeles and Culver City prompted a group of South Los Angeles residents to challenge the MTA's request for state approval to lay tracks and run trains across major streets. The matter is being heard by an administrative law judge for the commission.
Najmedin Meshkati, a professor with USC's Viterbi School of Engineering, worked on a two-year study of safety concerns along the Blue Line, which runs from Long Beach to downtown L.A. He said that as the MTA builds the Expo Line, it needs to make a serious effort to inform pedestrians and motorists of the dangers of rail crossings.
"We really need to look beyond one particular incident and do a root cause analysis," Meshkati said. "This string of accidents at the Gold Line is the best justification for us to take a hard look at what we're doing . . . and its implications for the Expo Line."
