Dozens of PCC students arrived late to class Friday after an accident on the Metro Gold Line during rush hour left at least six injured and a train in flames.The train was heading to Pasadena from Union Station. Shortly after 7 a.m., it struck a car attempting to beat it. Authorities said the driver broke through the rail arms on Ave. 50 in Highland Park.
Soon after the collision, the train caught fire. The blaze was quickly extinguished but the train sustained severe damage.
“I’m pissed off,” said Yury Fesechko, 18, a PCC student who commutes from West Hollywood. “I was late to meet someone today and it was very important. I left home at 6 a.m. to be on time.”
A train with a sign reading “A Winning Team Keeps Metro Rail On Track” was delayed 15 minutes at Union Station. Passengers were then instructed to get off the train at Southwest Museum Station and board a bus, to get to the next station.
Over a hundred confused passengers followed the long crowd to the bus stop, half of them not knowing what had happened and running late to school or work.
Once passengers reached Highland Park Station, there was another wait. The train was delayed about 45 minutes.
This is the third accident this month. The first occurred Sept. 11 within two blocks of the Friday wreck, leaving seven people injured. The other was on the Blue Line on its way to downtown L.A. from La Mirada on Sept. 17. Four people were injured.
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