Train Deaths

Re “Claim Is Filed in Train Deaths of 2 Toddlers,” Nov. 13: Had Jaqueline Robles’ children been killed walking into the street or onto a freeway we’d be reading about a different type of lawsuit. Death is waiting around every corner for unsupervised children. The children would be alive today if she had taken steps to ensure their safety.

KATIE PAYTON

Los Angeles

Who is to blame? The mother for falling asleep, maybe using drugs? The father for not being around? Metrolink for its lack of safety precautions? Sometimes bad things just happen, don’t they? Peter Hidalgo, spokesman for Metrolink, said the area where the accident occurred is not considered a “hot spot,” and, “We to this day have not received any complaints from the residents in that area.”

The accident occurred less than 100 yards from where these children lived. They were toddlers! They didn’t climb fences to get to those tracks or crawl through holes. They wandered onto those tracks innocently. Does Metrolink really need to be informed that its trains speeding through urban neighborhoods present a potential danger to residents? If Metrolink had not waited to put up those fences, it would have been cheaper. And Alexes Robles and Deziree Soto would be alive.

MICHAEL N. KNUE

Los Angeles

I mourn for the two young children who lost their lives. But it seems to me that the $30-million claim against Metrolink is either a deflection of blame or a greedy attempt to take advantage of a tragic situation.

Fernando Soto stated, “We’re not doing this for the money. This is the only way anybody gets attention.” If they’re only trying to raise the awareness level of the public to this tragic situation, then they should earmark any awards that this lawsuit generates to a fund that is responsible for building fences around railroad tracks! If their intent truly is altruistic, then they would not sue for any specific dollar amount but instead sue for an action that would result in increased safety.

BLAINE BOWMAN

Riverside