Driver
of truck hit by California train released from custody
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[February 27, 2015]
By Dana Feldman
VENTURA, Calif. (Reuters) - A driver who
was taken into custody after his truck was hit by a Southern California
commuter train in a fiery wreck that injured 50 people was released on
Thursday after prosecutors declined to file criminal charges, inmate
records showed.
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Jose Alejandro Sanchez-Ramirez, 54, was arrested on suspicion of
hit-and-run after police said they found him walking and talking on
a cell phone "in distress" more than a mile from the scene of
Tuesday's destruction in Oxnard, California.
Oxnard police have said Sanchez-Ramirez was taken into custody for
leaving the scene of the crash and that they were investigating
whether drugs and alcohol were a factor. He was scheduled for an
initial court appearance on Thursday.
But Ventura County Prosecutors, in announcing that no charges would
be filed against the driver for now, said the investigation was
complex and involved numerous local and federal agencies.
"The district attorney must await the completion of this
investigation before making a formal filing decision," the office
said in a written statement.
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"While charges will not be filed at this time, the arrest of Jose
Alejandro Sanchez-Ramirez by the Oxnard Police Department was
clearly appropriate and lawful," prosecutors said.
Online inmate records from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office
showed on Thursday night that Sanchez-Ramirez had been released from
custody.
The crash in Oxnard flipped over three double-decker Metrolink rail
cars, derailed two others and tore apart the Ford pickup that
authorities said Sanchez-Ramirez had driven 80 feet (24 meters) onto
the railroad tracks after making a wrong turn in the pre-dawn
darkness.
Three people remain in critical condition, including the train's
operator.
"My father and the rest of my family are praying for everyone's
speedy recovery and our concerns and thoughts are with the victims
of the accident," Sanchez-Ramirez's son, Daniel, told a news
conference.
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The driver's attorney, Ron Bamieh, has described the crash as an
accident and said on Thursday that his client had been confused and
mistakenly turned onto the tracks instead of a nearby street. He
said Sanchez-Ramirez left the scene trying to look for help.
The crossing was a known transportation hazard and the scene of a
fatal accident as recently as last year, raising questions about why
an overpass had not been built there.
National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt said on
Thursday that crossing signals were working properly at the time of
the crash and that the train horn sounded 12 seconds before impact.
He said the train's emergency brakes were applied eight seconds
before impact.
(Additional reporting and writing by Alex Dobuzinskis and Dan
Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Editing by James Dalgleish and Cynthia
Osterman)
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