Overview
- The September 12, 2008 collision in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley killed 25 people and injured 135, the deadliest incident in Metrolink’s history.
- Charles E. Peck, 49, a Delta Air Lines customer service agent, had traveled for a job interview at Van Nuys Airport and was recently engaged to Andrea Katz.
- Across 11 hours after the crash, his phone placed 35 attempts to reach family members, producing only static when answered and sending callbacks to voicemail.
- Rescuers tracked the phone’s signal to the first train, searched the wreckage again, and located Peck’s body about 12 hours after the crash, roughly an hour after the calls stopped.
- The phone itself was never found, and a preliminary inquiry determined the commuter engineer missed a red signal before the train entered a track occupied by a Union Pacific freight train.