Unclear Signal Lead To Crash

A confusing traffic signal was to blame for the collision of a Metrolink commuter train with a truck earlier this year in Burbank, National Transportation Safety Board officials said Tuesday...    The collision killed the truck driver and injured 32 passengers, including one who was treated and released from a local hospital and died 15 days later.
    The NTSB released a preliminary report Tuesday stating that the probable cause of the crash was the design of the traffic signal, which displayed a flashing red arrow for the eastbound North San Fernando Boulevard left turn lane, “improperly implying that, after stopping, the truck driver was permitted to make a left turn onto North Buena Vista Street.”
    The collision occurred Jan. 6 at about 9:30 a.m. when an eastbound Metrolink commuter train — coming from Santa Clarita’s Via Princessa station — struck a Ford F-550 stakebed truck at the North Buena Vista Street crossing in Burbank.
    According to the NTSB report, the truck’s fuel tank was damaged upon impact, resulting in a post-crash fire that consumed the vehicle, which remained at the crossing. The truck’s cab, which was not on fire, continued eastward with the train.
    Each of the train’s four cars derailed, coming to a stop about 1,300 feet east of the crossing. Two cars turned onto their sides, while the other two cars and the locomotive remained upright.