1 Dozen Hurt As S. Calif. Train Derails

A runaway freight train derailed Friday, sending its load of lumber crashing into trackside homes and injuring at least a dozen people, authorities said.

Rescuers were searching the wreckage of three homes and the debris for others possibly trapped.

The freight cars got loose during a switching operation and began speeding toward downtown Los Angeles, said Union Pacific spokesman John Bromley.

Workers tried to reroute the train onto a side track, but the cars derailed in Commerce, a largely industrial community east of Los Angeles, after rolling on their own for 30 miles.

Eighteen cars went off the track and piled up, covered by a mound of lumber that spread over a wide area, including on top of neighboring buildings.

“There was quick consideration whether or not we could derail the cars onto a spur track. Obviously that was not successful,” Bromley said.

One person had moderate injuries and 11 others had minor injuries, said Los Angeles County fire spokesman Albert Flores. There was no fire and no hazardous materials threat from the train, he said.

“We saw the train demolishing and splintering the house. You saw the power lines going down, the sparks. I was in shock,” said Jason Mendez, 34.