16 Hurt in California Amtrak Crash

Low-speed crash caused only minor injuries
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 13, 2011 8:51 AM CDT
16 Hurt in California Amtrak Crash
Two Amtrak trains rest against each other after colliding at an Oakland, Calif., station on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011.    (Noah Berger)

An Amtrak train crashed into another train unloading passengers at a station in California, leaving 16 people with mainly minor injuries, authorities said. The crash occurred late yesterday as the passenger train, traveling at a speed of up to about 20mph, struck the stationary Amtrak train at the station in Oakland. The city Fire Department battalion chief says the company told him that train went through a red light.

There were injuries on both trains, most of which were minor, but several people were taken to local hospitals. An Amtrak spokesperson, who would not comment on whether one train ran a red light, said the wheels of each lead engine went off the track. One passenger told KTVU that he felt "an awful jolt" from the impact, while another witness told CBS5 that she heard "a big bang like a bomb." It wasn't the only train mishap—a commuter train rammed a stationary car outside Philadelphia this morning. (More train crash stories.)

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