CLEVELAND, December 16 — Brother Kenneth Leonard of BLET Division 5 (Los Angeles, Calif.) was killed in a head-on collision between two Union Pacific freight trains on December 10. Brother Leonard joined the BLE on November 1, 1992.
Brother Leonard, 44, engineer of the eastbound train, was taken from the accident scene to a hospital where he died. It wasn’t immediately known what his injuries were. Four other crew members were taken for medical treatment as a precaution for what were considered minor injuries.
Five locomotives and seven rail cars were derailed.
One train hauling 87 freight cars was en route from Los Angeles to Dallas, the other, with 35 cars, was heading west from Chicago to Los Angeles.
BLET National President Don M. Hahs ordered the flag over BLET headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, to be flown at half-mast in honor of Brother Leonard and all other BLET members who lost their lives in the line of duty.
“On behalf of the men and women of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, I send my deepest condolences to Brother Leonard’s family and friends,” said President Hahs.
Brother Leonard’s wake will be held on Friday, December 17, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. His funeral services will be on Saturday, December 18, at 10 a.m. at:
Douglass and Zook Mortuary
600 East Foothill Blvd.
Monrovia, Calif. 91016