By Justin Duckham-Talk Radio News Service

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) addressed Monday’s fatal Washington Metrorail collision, saying that he and other representatives from Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. will meet with the appropriate officials to determine what can be done to prevent future accidents.

The Majority Leader was reluctant to attribute the crash to a lack of funding.

“I want to wait before jumping to a conclusion that this was a lack of money. We don’t know yet whether this was a human error, computer error [or] equipment error,” said Hoyer during a pen and pad session with reporters Tuesday. Wednesday, the Majority Leader announced that he and other legislators will attempt to secure an additional $3 billion for Metrorail.

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) requested to have the accident brought to the attention of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. According to a statement released by Norton earlier this week, a series of hearings will be held after the 4th of July recess.

Debbie Hersman of the National Transportation Safety Board said that the investigation into Monday’s fatal metro accident is in the preliminary stages, but that officials are moving quickly to document perishable evidence and cell-phone records. (0:34)

 

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Washington, D.C. Metrorail Spokesperson Taryn McNeil states that Metrorail is unaware of the collision’s cause, but that it is under investigation. According to McNeil, the primary focus is currently on removing the passengers from the trains and providing them with medical attention (0:11)

 

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Washington, D.C. Metrorail Spokesperson Taryn McNeil confirms that at least two have died following Monday’s collision. McNeil could not confirm how many were injured as of yet (0:17).

 

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