Ventura Metrolink Crash Survivors Describe Moment Of Impact
OXNARD (CBSLA.com) — While a number of victims of the Oxnard Metrolink crash on Tuesday morning remained in the hospital through the evening, the lucky ones who suffered no serious injuries spoke out about what the fateful moment was like.
Most passengers suffered just scrapes, cuts and bruises, but said they were beyond grateful just to be alive.
"I feel blessed, I am lucky," victim Kent Groeneveld said. "It could have been a lot worse."
Groevenveld was riding on the top deck of the second car of Metrolink train 102, on his way to work in Monterey Park, when the train collided with a truck in Oxnard. He had been on board for approximately six minutes at the time of the impact.
"There was a 'pop', and the train started moving a little sideways, and more sideways, so we knew something was really wrong, and then it slowly tipped over," Groeneveld said. "I was trying to grab a hold of something to keep myself from falling, but I wasn't able to catch anything and I landed on the glass."
At that point, he began to prepare for the worst.
"I thought 'this is it, this is the way I'm going'," Groeneveld recalled.
Metrolink Train Derails In Oxnard After Colliding With Truck On Tracks
Keana Grey, 19, was also in the train's second car, and recalled the moment of impact.
"I was thrown out of my seat, up into the air, and then back down," Grey said.
Groeneveld and Grey both managed to get out under their own power, and were treated for bruises and cuts, and were released from the hospital.
Upon seeing the crash in the news, Groeneveld says he was nearly in shock at the sight.
"That was the first time I got to see the actual accident, and It was like, I can't believe I was in that," he said.
Police later identified the driver of the truck as Jose Alejandro Sanchez Ramirez, 54, from Yuma, Arizona. Ramirez was said to be cooperative with authorities. His arrest was on the basis of a felony hit and run charge, according to police.