A 58-year-old man pleaded guilty to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter for his involvement in a 2015 Metrolink crash in Oxnard that killed the train’s engineer and injured dozens more, officials announced Friday.
Jose Alejandro Sanchez-Ramirez, of Yuma, Arizona, faces up to one year in jail after pleading guilty, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
The crash and derailment occurred about Feb. 24, 2015, at the intersection of Rice Avenue and 5th Street in Oxnard. Sanchez-Ramirez made a right turn near the intersection, and continued onto the railroad tracks until the truck and the trailer he was towing became stuck. He then abandoned his truck on the tracks and did not notify authorities, officials said.
About 15 minutes after Sanchez-Ramirez walked out of the truck that morning, the train crashed and three train cars overturned. Thirty-three people were injured, including four critically. Glenn Steele, the train’s engineer died from his injuries a week after the crash. He was 62 years old.
Sanchez-Ramirez is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24, 2019.
