(The following story by Joe Nelson was published in the January 3 online issue of the San Bernardino County Sun.)
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — A Rialto man was killed and his car torn to pieces after colliding with a Metrolink train Friday, police said.
Laurence Macias, 45, was driving south on Cactus Avenue, south of Rialto Avenue, in a 1991 Honda Accord about 12:55 p.m. when he crashed through a mechanical railroad-crossing arm and into the eastbound train, Rialto police and witnesses said.
The impact spun the car around and hurled it about 100 yards, police said.
Metrolink Train 304 was traveling about 70 mph and preparing to stop at the depot on Willow Avenue when the accident occurred. The depot was only a block away from the accident.
“He went through the barrier and just hit the train. His car just disintegrated,’ said Metrolink passenger Leroy Walker, 67, of Los Angeles, who was sitting in the upper deck of the first car of the train when the accident occurred. “You saw this car going into pieces as it went by.’
Walker, who frequently commutes to Loma Linda University Medical Center for outpatient treatment of prostate cancer, was still trying to make sense of the accident as he boarded a bus back to Los Angeles from the Metrolink depot on Willow Avenue in Rialto.
“The thing is, what was going through this guy’s head. Was he drunk? Was he stoned?,’ Walker said. “How could the guy think he would beat the train? Man, this is heavy.’
Train passenger Willie Maples, 58, of San Bernardino was riding in the second car when he saw the Honda approaching the railroad crossing at a high speed.
“We just seen this dude coming. We couldn’t believe he wasn’t going to stop,’ Maples said. “And then the car just exploded. Everything flew up.’
Remains of the car were strewn across the railroad tracks at the intersection of Cactus and Rialto avenues Friday after the accident. The car’s front wheels and a portion of the chassis had been torn from the vehicle upon impact. A battery lay on the ground about 20 feet from the crumpled car.
Macias was pronounced dead at 1:10 p.m., Rialto firefighter Mark Martinez said.
Macias, who was wearing his seat belt, suffered severe trauma to his upper body, said Supervising Deputy Coroner Randy Emon.
A bent fender and twisted bumper were lodged inside the engine compartment of the first car of the train. A stepladder used by the train’s conductor to descend had also been crushed, and blue paneling along the side of the train was scuffed, scratched and crushed.
Six impatient passengers exited the train through emergency windows and went home after the accident, said Los Angeles County sheriff’s Deputy Don Prosser. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department contracts with Metrolink to patrol its lines.
“Having been in a situation of being stuck on a train, I can see their frustration,’ said Metrolink spokeswoman Sharon Gavin about the passengers who left.
Gavin said the train’s remaining 29 passengers were bused to Rialto and San Bernardino, the train’s final destination. None of the passengers or crew was injured, she said.