AP’s Tim Molloy writes from Glendale, California, the site of that train crash yesterday.
“Authorities said Juan Manuel Alvarez, 25, of Compton, parked his sport utility vehicle on the tracks and got out before a Metrolink train smashed into it. The train then derailed and collided with another train going in the opposite direction. That train also jumped the tracks.
Alvarez was arrested and will face homicide charges, Police Chief Randy Adams said. Alvarez had also slashed his wrists and stabbed himself, but the injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, authorities said. Adams said Alvarez had a criminal record that involved drugs.”
Did you catch that last part?
A history of drug use.
By many reports, a LONG hstory. I’m sure we’ll eventually learn more about this, including an accident day a tox report. But it’s not hard to figure where this is going.
They don’t make a whole bunch out of that point in the story I’ve linked, but you should. You need to remember… remember the ten dead people and the 180 some-odd injured… some seriously… the number of lives that won’t be scotch -taped back together again….
You need to remember them the next time you hear about someone trying to make the drugs that aimed this moron toward trains full of innocent people, legal, in the guise of ‘freedom’. Now it can be argued, of course that the system failed this guy. But think….
Is there any doubt in anyone’s mind that what happened as a result of this guy’s involvement with drugs was as effective as any terrorist could hope to be in taking lives and creating mayhem?
Does anyone really think that when such things are legal, this kind of tragedy won’t be happening more often?
Tags: BitsBlog
