Driver killed in first Metro Rail fatality

12:16 PM CDT on Wednesday, May 11, 2005

By Reggie Aqui / 11 News

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The first fatality in a Metro light rail accident happened overnight Tuesday at the intersection of Main and Jefferson in downtown Houston.

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A pickup truck and a Metro light rail train collided at the intersection of Jefferson and Main.

Witnesses told police Jesse Villareal, 46, was driving his white pickup truck eastbound on Jefferson. They say everyone behind him stopped for a red light, but he went through at the same time a southbound train entered the intersection.

Police say the front rail car slammed into the driver's side door, pushing the truck 50 feet down the rail and killing Villareal instantly. At full speed the trains go about 40 mph.

The impact of the crash caused the train to derail.

Twelve passengers were on board the train at the time and four went to the hospital with minor injuries.

Hours after the accident, the victim's daughter was at the scene where her father died.

"I just can't believe it, I just can't believe it," Valerie Villareal told a friend on her cell phone.

She doesn't believe witness accounts that her father caused the accident.

"My mind is blown on how this could happen to him," Villareal said. "He knows these streets forward and backward."

But the train's onboard camera showed Metro did have the green light.

"They said that they didn't have time to stop," said Valerie Villareal. "They said that there was nothin' that could have been done. OK, so how many times is this gonna happen for somebody, you know, another death and another death. My dad was the first, but how many accidents have they had?"

"We really want to express our condolences and our sympathy to the family and the friends of this very tragic loss," said Metro Police Chief Thomas Lambert.

The number of Metro rail accidents so far this year is about half of the accidents during the same period last year.

Metro officials say they've made changes to lower the accident rate, but drivers need to do their part.

Metro will study the footage from the onboard camera to determine how fast the train was going and if anything could have been done to prevent the accident.

"We look at each and every accident, especially this one, and see if there's anything, anything at all we can do to improve safety," said Metro spokesman George Smalley.