Teen Testifies Before Congress About Metrolink Crash

"I am simply not a normal teenager anymore without my dad," said 15-year-old Mackenzie Souser as she struggled to hold back tears.

Souser, of Camarillo, told a House committee Thursday what life has been like since her father, Doyle Souser, was killed when a Metrolink commuter train and a freight train collided head-on in Chatsworth. It was the deadliest train crash in California history.

It was determined that the engineer of the Metrolink train was texting on his cellphone when the crash happened on Sept. 12, 2008, killing 25 people and injuring 135. He was among those killed.

Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley) invited Souser to Washington, D.C., to testify in favor of a bill he is sponsoring that would lift the cap on legal settlements in rail accidents from $200 million to $275 million.

Gallegly said that most of those harmed in the train collision were his constituents, according to the Associated Press. He said it is his belief that the $200 million settlement in the case won’t come close to covering the future medical expenses that the injured will incur over the coming years, or fairly compensate the families of those killed. A retired judge who reviewed the case estimated lifetime medical bills for the survivors would total about $600 million, much more than Gallegly is seeking.

Veolia Transportation, the French company that owns the firm that was operating the Metrolink train, has created a $200 million settlement fund for the victims and their families, and the judge is in the process of deciding how the money should be divided.

“This was a tragedy, but it was not an accident and it should have never happened,” Gallegly said.

Gallegly and Souser testified before part of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The 15-year-old was composed throughout her testimony, except for a moment when she talked about life without her father.

“I am simply not a normal teenager without my dad. The best part of every day was when my dad came home from work and our family had dinner together,” she said shortly before breaking into tears. “I struggle every day with the fact that my dad, who was the sole breadwinner for our family, isn’t coming home ever again.”

When Souser finished, the subcommittee members and the audience broke into applause.

The Associated Press and Huffington Post contributed to this report.