Redlands denies wrongdoing in fatal Metrolink crash

REDLANDS, Calif. — The city of Redlands has formally denied all allegations in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Jason Chiakowsky, who lost his wife and daughter in a 2023 Metrolink train collision at the Alabama Street crossing.

Why it matters: In a legal response filed April 8, 2025, the city rejected claims that it failed to address known safety hazards at the rail crossing and argued that it bears no responsibility for the crash. The city claimed that the crash was caused by Woolard’s own negligence and that any danger posed by the crossing was “minor, trivial or insignificant.” 

Railroad crossings are jointly regulated and maintained by multiple agencies. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) oversees the design, construction, and maintenance of public rail crossings, while local jurisdictions like cities may be responsible for traffic signal integration or roadway design. Contracted rail operators—such as Herzog Transit Services for Metrolink—often maintain train equipment and rail signals.

Background of the incident: The crash occurred shortly before 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, when a westbound Metrolink train struck a vehicle at the Alabama Street crossing just north of Redlands Boulevard. According to initial reports and surveillance footage reviewed by investigators, the car stopped over the limit line at a red light, several feet from the tracks. As the crossing gate came down—striking the roof of the vehicle—the driver, Heather Woolard, apparently panicked and pulled forward onto the tracks, where the train hit the vehicle, according to statements at the time from city spokesperson Carl Baker.

Presley Chiakowsky, 11, was ejected from the car and pronounced dead at the scene. Woolard was critically injured and later died at the hospital. A passenger on the train was also hospitalized with complaints of pain.

While city officials said all signals and gates were functioning properly based on video evidence, the incident raised questions about how much time drivers have to react once the crossing gates lower. In a visit to the intersection shortly after the crash, a Redlands Daily Facts reporter observed just four seconds between full gate closure and train entry into the crossing. This month, Community Forward Redlands timed that same window at 12 seconds. 

The Federal Highway Administration requires a minimum warning time of 20 seconds before the train reaches the crossing. This includes 5 seconds with the gates fully lowered before the train arrives. 

Details of the lawsuit: The First Amended Complaint, filed Feb. 25, 2025, names more than a dozen public agencies and contractors, including Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink), the City of Redlands, San Bernardino County Transportation Authority, Herzog Transit Services, HDR Engineering, RailPros, Select Electric, and AECOM.

Chiakowsky’s legal team alleges that the defendants failed to maintain a safe railroad crossing and created a dangerous condition of public property in violation of California Government Code. The suit argues that the crossing lacked proper coordination between traffic signals and train warnings—particularly significant in a designated Quiet Zone, where trains do not routinely sound their horns.

The complaint also alleges:

• Misaligned or unsynchronized traffic and train signals;
• Inadequate visual or audible warning systems;
• A poorly designed and placed Chevron gas station driveway that feeds directly into the crossing area;
• Lack of signage or restriction to prevent vehicles from turning into the path of oncoming trains;
• Failure to warn motorists of the risk of entrapment due to traffic signal placement and the physical layout of the intersection.

The suit contends that these issues left drivers vulnerable to being trapped on the tracks without sufficient warning of an approaching train.

The plaintiff specifically claims that the crossing did not adequately warn motorist exiting the gas station on Alabama Street that they “should not make a right-hand turn when a train was approaching so as not to trap any unsuspecting motorists who abide by the traffic signal at the crossing by stopping before the railroad tracks and beyond the “Stop Here” sign.” 

The amended complaint also asserts that public entities are "vicariously liable" for the actions of private contractors and cannot delegate core safety responsibilities when managing public infrastructure.

The city’s defense: The city’s response includes 29 affirmative defenses, citing legal immunities. The city argues it had no prior notice of a dangerous condition at the Alabama Street crossing and that it exercised reasonable diligence in the design and oversight of traffic systems. It also contends that decisions regarding rail coordination and signal timing fell under the purview of other agencies. 

California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) oversees the safety of railroad crossings. The CPUC regulates the design, construction and maintenance of crossings and ensures compliance with safety standards. 

The city also argues that any design or construction at the crossing was carried out under proper discretionary authority, and that federal railroad safety laws may preempt some of the plaintiff’s claims.

“The subject crossing met all applicable federal standards for care for safety established by regulation or order of the Secretary of Transportation or the Secretary of Homeland Security as well as any local or state law, ordinance, policy, regulation or order found not to be incompatible with the Federal Railroad Safety Act of 1970.”

Safety concerns raised: The filing came just one week before the Redlands City Council approved an $872,000 settlement with retired Deputy Police Chief Travis Martinez, who alleged in a separate whistleblower claim that he was passed over for the police chief position in retaliation for raising a series of internal concerns. Among them was the city’s response to the fatal Alabama Street train collision. The heavily redacted 2023 complaint stated that Martinez was “shut down” after attempting to share findings from a private security camera that captured the crash.

In court documents, Chiakowsky’s legal team argues that multiple agencies—including Metrolink, the city of Redlands and private contractors—were aware of design flaws and failed to coordinate traffic signals with train operations, particularly in an area designated as a Quiet Zone, where train horns are typically not used. The plaintiffs claim that failure to provide adequate visual or audible warnings played a central role in the crash.

Recent rail maintenance: In December 2023, during a joint testing effort, crews from Metrolink and the city of Redlands identified a malfunction in the city’s “traffic intersection preemption warning systems” at the Eureka Street and Alabama Street crossings, according to Metrolink.

In an April 18, 2025, email to CFR, city spokesperson Carl Baker stated the system involved with these repairs was “wholly unrelated" to the April 4, 2023, crash.

What’s next: The case is scheduled for jury trial in March 2027.

Chiakowsky is suing on behalf of himself and his surviving son, Greyson, seeking damages for wrongful death and negligence.