It is the deadliest crash in metro history: nine people died, 80 more were injured. It affected riders from all parts of the city and from every walk of life.
Now, the 10 year anniversary of that June 22 crash near the Fort Totten Metro Station is coming up and Fort Totten resident David Kosub wants to collect people’s memories from that day. Kosub remembers that it happened at the height of the rush hour commute.
“I recall the delay, and just wondering why is this happening, I was just coming home from work - and it was selfish thoughts.” Said Kosub. “And then when I got above ground and got access to the radio again, I was just like, Oh my.”
Kosub said a plaque at Fort Totten station bearing the names of all nine who died, made him wonder how other people look back on the day.
“Walking by the plaques every day, I wanted to know what other people were thinking about when they went by it," he said.
Karen Young is another Fort Totten resident. She recalls how she felt watching the news that night, and realized she almost rode the train at that very hour.
“I decided not to, and good thing I didn’t because that’s when I heard all the commotion about the crash.
Kosub is encouraging Washingtonians, Metro riders and Fort Totten neigbors to share their memories of the day.
Young said as a regular rider at the Fort Totten station, the impact was far reaching for her and her community.
“There was a police officer who lived across the street from me, so one of his friends worked for the fire department- and just the impact of the train, and what it actually did to some people, so he lived with that for awhile," she said. “Just imagine being on the scene and imagine what you may have witnessed.”
Kosub plans to collect those memories into a podcast or poem - to commemorate the day. Those who want to share their memories can do that on our Facebook page here.