In the park dedicated to the memory of the nine people killed and 80 wounded on June 22, 2009, relatives gathered to recall their loved ones and push for continued safety improvements on the transit system.
Kenneth Hawkins鈥� brother Dennis, who worked as an instructional aide at a local public school, was on the Red Line train after a full day of classes and was headed to teach adult Bible school when the crash occurred.
Hawkins said he鈥檚 at peace with his brother鈥檚 loss, but the 2009 crash underscored Metro鈥檚 safety failures.
鈥淭he question we need to be asking ourselves is: ‘Do we want to continue to build monuments memorializing individuals from tragic accidents, or go to preventive mode?’鈥� Hawkins said. He emphasized the issue isn鈥檛 Metro鈥檚 alone, but that safety should be a top priority in the nation鈥檚 infrastructure network. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a Metro thing, it鈥檚 a 鈥榳e鈥� thing鈥� Hawkins said.
Betsy Wherley was a new mother when her parents, Ann and David F. Wherley, Jr. were killed in the Metro crash. Her oldest daughter is now 10 and her young son never knew his grandparents.
Wherley, who lives in South Carolina, explained she鈥檇 visited the Legacy Memorial Park with its nine columns and benches back in October. 鈥淎nd I was so sad. Because it was in disrepair,鈥� she recalled.
Wherley said she thought at the time 鈥淚t鈥檚 true! No one does remember. No one remembers.鈥�
But during Saturday鈥檚 ceremony in the spruced up park, Wherley said she was happy to see the turnout on the 10th anniversary of the crash. She urged the other families to keep coming back each year.
鈥淏ecause we will always remember.鈥�
Tawanda Brown鈥檚 23-year-old daughter, Lavonda 鈥淣ikki鈥� King, had just opened up her own salon when she was killed. Brown wore brightly colored buttons and pins, one that said 鈥淎sk Me About It,鈥� a prompt for people to ask about her daughter, described by one aunt as 鈥渁 real go-getter.鈥�
Brown said the passage of time didn鈥檛 take away all the hurt.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been 10 years, and we know that time waits for no one,” Brown said. “And when you lose someone, that stays.鈥�
Brown said sharing memories about her vital, funny, energetic daughter is healing. King left behind two sons, Andre and Emmanuel, now 13 and 12 respectively.
Carolyn Jenkins鈥� daughter Veronica Dubose also left behind children, a son, Raja Williams, now 18 and Ava Dubose, now 11. Ava read a poem for her mother and ended with the line, 鈥淢y heart is still broken, but you didn鈥檛 go alone. A part of me went with you the day God took you home.鈥�
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser spoke at the ceremony, as did Metro General Manager Paul Weidefeld.
鈥淲e Washingtonians will never forget what happened that day,鈥� Bowser said. 鈥淲e share our strength and love with all the survivors and all the friends and families of the victims.鈥�
Afterward, Bowser and Weidefeld were asked about the continued issues of safety within the Metro system. She said the 2009 crash 鈥渨as a huge jolt鈥� to the public鈥檚 sense of safety on the transit system.
鈥淚 think that鈥檚 why we have all been focused on a plan and funding that plan鈥� she said, referring to efforts to improve safety.聽鈥淏ut we have to make up a lot of work that was not done.鈥�
Weidefeld said the work to restore a 鈥渃ulture of safety鈥� at Metro continues, and that he asks employees 鈥淛ust think of the most vulnerable person in your life, and put them in that spot. And the decisions get pretty easy after that.鈥�
Bottom line, said Wiedefeld 鈥淭he system is safe, but we need to do a lot more work.鈥�
Wiedefeld was asked if the system is close to returning to automated train control, to which he responded, 鈥淣ot yet. Again, we will not do anything until we feel comfortable.鈥� Asked if there鈥檚 a timeline to return to ATC, Weidefeld said, 鈥淣o, the timeline is: When it鈥檚 safe.鈥�
