Victims Comments

12/01/05

This website was set up by Victims of train wrecks. Specifically, the January 26, 2005 Glendale California METROLINK Wreck. Victims are survivors, family and friends. We as victims of this terrible wreck want to speak up and hope with all our hearts that what we have to say wakes up those making decisions about the way the passenger trains are currently being operated. We want the trains to continue to provide service but provide that service in the safest way possible. Increasing safety can be as simple as providing short portions of additional track, called a Wye, which allows the trains to always operate running forward with a Locomotive first. Or "cabbage cars" could be used, which are Locomotives no longer in use that have been converted to remotely operate the real Locomotive.

These companies have a moral obligation to protect the lives and safety of each and every passenger and crew member. It is NOT morally acceptable for a company to take the position that it is cheaper to pay insurance and lawsuits when wrecks occur than to provide a heavier weighted Locomotive in front to clear the tracks and absorb the impact.

None of our lives will ever be the same as they were on January 25, 2005. Pieces of our former lives have been ripped away. We do not want the same thing to happen to other families and friends.

In Memory of Those That Lost Their Lives in The Glendale Train Wreck

Thomas Ormiston, Conductor Train 109

	Ann Ormiston - I lost by husband and best friend, Thomas Ormiston. He was the Conductor, and only crew member killed in the Glendale train wreck. He was killed because the cab car on the South bound train derailed and knocked his North bound train off the track. It's rather ironic, he told me many times the cab car was the most dangerous car on the train - - his railroad career ended when he was killed by a cab car on the South bound train, while he was riding in a cab car on the North bound train.
	Kerri Ormiston Davis - Kerri's presentation to the Passenger Rail Safety Committee July 20, 2005 (click here for complete letter)
	Christie Ormiston Rodriguez - We as a family have lost a father, papa, husband, son, brother, uncle, but we are not the only ones who have lost someone special. My dad had an impact on many people's lives, from his passengers who rode with him daily on the train to the Starbuck's workers he encountered each morning. His funeral was a testament to just how many lives he did touch. We are hoping that this website will impact just as many people so that his death does not have to be in vain. Even if you did not know my dad, please take the time to sign this petition and help prevent this tragedy from happening to another family.
	Larry A. Fredeen - I have just heard (well, actually early this morning, but I can finally bring myself to type a few words) that the MetroLink Conductor killed in yesterday’s collision was Mr. Tom Ormiston. . . . .(click here for complete letter)