A driver whose vehicle was struck by a Southern California commuter train, triggering a wreck in which 50 people were hurt, will not be charged at this time in connection with the derailment, Ventura County prosecutors said on Thursday.
Prosecutors said they would await more investigative findings before making a final decision on whether to charge Jose Alejandro Sanchez-Ramirez, 54, in connection with Tuesday's crash in Oxnard, about 45 miles (72 km) northwest of Los Angeles.
Sanchez-Ramirez was found walking and "in distress" over a mile from the crash site and was later taken into custody on suspicion of felony hit-and-run for leaving the scene of the accident.
He had been scheduled to appear in court on Thursday but was now expected to be released after Ventura County District Attorney Gregory D. Totten's office said in a statement that "no charges will be filed at this time" against him.
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.
Sanchez-Ramirez'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 before eventually finding police.
The crossing was a known transportation hazard and the scene of a fatal accident as recently as last year, raising questions about why a highway overpass had not been built there.
Federal authorities have sent video recorders from the train to Washington for analysis and have determined the train was traveling under its speed limit of 79 miles per hour, National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt has said.
Among the 50 people injured in the accident was the train operator, who was transferred in critical condition from Ventura County Medical Center to another hospital for specialized treatment, hospital spokeswoman Sheila Murphy said.
Another person from the train remains in critical condition at Ventura County Medical Center and three more are in stable condition, Murphy said.
"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.
