Train Wreck

The train crash in California is an incredible disaster with eleven commuters dead and nearly 200 wounded, some very seriously. Many more people were traumatized, I'm sure.

This disaster was allegedly caused by one man who was suicidal and parked his SUV on the train tracks. Apparently the vehicle was wedged between the two rails on the track which created a barrier. This barrier effect is what turned this from a bad accident into a disaster.

The accused is a man named Juan Alvarez who the Glendale Police Chief described as, " deranged individual that was suicidal." They also said, "The state of mind of the suspect is a central issue, what led him to do whatever acts he did do."

The Mayor of Los Angeles wondered aloud, "Is there a way that we can stop one crazed individual from creating this kind of carnage?"

I smell an assault on the rights of the mentally ill brewing. After all, look at what crazy people running wild on the streets can do ... they can maim and kill hundreds. Obviously.

But wait ...

'Alvarez's estranged wife, Carmelita Alvarez, had ordered him out of her home months ago, her family said, and in November she went to court seeking a temporary restraining order keeping him away from herself, their 3-year-old son, her mother, brother and other family members.
"He is using drugs and has been in and out of rehab twice," she said in asking for the restraining order, which was granted Dec. 14. "He threatened to take our kid away and to hurt my family members," she added. "He is planning on selling his vehicle to buy a gun and threatened to use it."
Alvarez, who lived in a converted garage behind her sister's home in suburban Compton, told the court her husband had damaged her family's property and threatened to seek revenge on people he suspected of introducing her to another man. She said his drug use was triggering hallucinations. '

So he's not mentally ill in the sense that most people think of it ... he's a drug addict who couldn't live with his addiction anymore and wanted to kill himself. It's a common semantic mistake for which truly mentally ill people pay dearly. I imagine that it's because of the blurry lines between mental illness, substance dependence (which has a psychological aspect), and criminal guilt.

This afternoon the indictment will be handed down. It's expected that Alvarez will be charged with multiple counts of murder, though I expect eventually it will be reduced to manslaughter, but that he will serve substantial time in prison. The damage and pain he has caused has been immense; I hope it doesn't get even worse.