$200M Fund For LA Metrolink Victims Finalized

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A federal judge's approval of a $200 million compensation fund for victims of a Metrolink commuter train disaster in Los Angeles has been finalized.

Judge George H. Wu's order went into effect Thursday, a month after he approved the fund and released all parties from further liability.

The case will move to state court, where a judge will hear testimony from victims of the 2008 crash before deciding how to divide the money.

The collision of the Metrolink train and a freight train killed 25 people and injured more than 100. Investigators believe the Metrolink engineer provided by Connex was texting moments earlier and ran a red light.

Metrolink and Connex, a subsidiary of Veolia Transportation, agreed to the sum, the maximum for a passenger train wreck under U.S. law.