The bloodied Spanish driver of the out-of-control death train shouted, “I f–ked up! I want to die!” moments after it flew off the rails — but is now refusing to talk to police.
The “criminal-recklessness” case against Francisco José Garzon, 52, will go “to a judicial process as soon as possible,” a police spokesman said yesterday after Garzon stonewalled cops questioning him at his hospital bed.
The train’s black-box recordings revealed how Garzon begged for advice from railway controllers immediately after the speeding train smashed into a wall near the city of Santago de Compostela Wednesday night.
“I’ve derailed! What do I do? What am I supposed to do?” he pleaded, according to Spanish media reports.
Investigators believe Garzon’s train was traveling at least 115 mph when it derailed on a sharp curve where the speed limit was 50 mph.
An American survivor of the crash, Stephen Ward, of Utah, said he saw a TV monitor in his car indicating that the train was speeding at 121 mph.
Spain’s Renfe rail company defended Garzon, saying he had driven trains past the spot of the accident 60 times and had “exhaustive” knowledge of his Madrid-to-Ferrol route.
Meanwhile, Spanish officials lowered the death toll from 80 to 78. The only American fatality was a Virginia woman en route to visit her son, who had completed a Catholic pilgrimage.
Ana-Maria Cordoba was killed, her daughter Christina suffered a broken leg, and her husband, Philippe, suffered skull fractures, officials said.
The officials said 81 people remain hospitalized, 31 in critical condition.
Family members were on their way to see the Cordobas’ son, who had completed a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela or “Way of St. James” in Spain. The spiritual journal, which can take several routes that are several-hundred miles long, has been done for thousands of years across the Spanish countryside. Pilgrims finish at the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where believers say Jesus’ apostle St. James is buried.
The journey was featured in a film, “The Way,” starring Martin Sheen.
In a statement, Arlington, Va., Bishop Paul Loverde said Cordoba’s death is a cause of “immense grief” not only for the family, but for those in the diocesan offices, where Cordoba worked in the human- resources office and her mother, Maria Angel, is an executive assistant for a vicar general in the diocese.
“In the midst of this unimaginable tragedy and sense of profound loss, we cling to the promise of the Risen Lord Jesus that eternal life awaits those who believe in Him,” Loverde said.
“Because we are family, we will walk with them, supporting them through prayer and with much care.”
At least five Americans were hurt in the crash, including Stephen Ward, an 18-year-old Mormon missionary from Bountiful, Utah.
He said the train lifted off the tracks “like a roller coaster” before smashing into a concrete wall.