Friends and family of a contracted worker injured when a Caltrain commuter train slammed into a construction truck in San Bruno are asking for financial help in his recovery.
Phil Merlino, a husband, father and journeyman lineman with more than 25 years of experience suffered third-degree burns on the back of his hands, head and neck during the March 10 collision, according to a GoFundMe page. His family and friends are asking for donations to help with the recovery. Merlino was working on the Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project at around 10:30 a.m. March 10. The electrification project upgrades and electrifies Caltrain’s 51-mile doubletrack commuter rail system from the Fourth and King Caltrain Station in San Francisco to the Tamien Station in San Jose. Merlino and his crew of four were involved in the collision. Merlino jumped from a crane to the right of way at the moment of impact, suffering burns from the initial explosion, and is currently in the burn center, according to the GoFundMe. Merlino is currently with union IBEW 1245.
The southbound Caltrain train had 75 passengers aboard, with 11 injured, along with a train engineer and a crane driver. Six of the injured were taken to hospitals. However, none of the injuries were considered life-threatening, according to Caltrain. The crash resulted in a fire to the construction crane and train, with the crane turned over and destroyed. SamTrans buses carried passengers between the affected South San Francisco, San Bruno, and Millbrae stations following the crash.
Caltrain spokesperson Dan Lieberman said Friday Caltrain would not have any new information until the preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report is released in a few weeks. The report provides additional information about the accident, analysis, conclusions, probable cause and safety recommendations. Caltrain is supporting the investigation. Lieberman said Caltrain is currently repairing the tracks, with planned service reduction still scheduled to go until at least April 1, and will likely be extended past that.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
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Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.