Trouble at 9th and water street southwest. At 3 22 heavy smoke was reported at the upper level. At 3 32 the first call for an ambulance. And nearly an hour later, 4 25 the first person taken to the ho. That time line from d. C. Leaders seems to closely match a time line assembled by one of the passengers jonathan rogers. He says he took this photo a few minutes after smoke started pouring in. His iphone time stamped the photo at 3 20 p. M. Rogers said this photo is when evacuations began, time stamped 4 01. At 4 20 an hour after the first photo, rogers took a picture of what he says is the first firefighter he saw. Finally, about two minutes later, rogers is in the tunnel and walking to safe. Now just days after the incident and with the investigation still ongoing, the first lawsuits have been filed against metro. One of the passengers trapped inside the smoky train spoke about the tragedy, and his lawyers explaining why the lawsuit is being filed so quickly. News4s adam tuss has more. It was sort of surreal. It was sort of surreal. Reporter 53yearold fredericksburg resident rich was on that train. He came straight from the hospital to this news conference. Tald about the Text Messages he was sending as the rail car he was riding on filled to the brim with smoke. I told my mother that i loved being her son, and i told my kids i loved being their dad. Reporter attorney kim brooks rodney of firm cohen and cohen is representing rich in this suit. She says she is filing the suit so fast because she wants to know what happened. The complaint is going to allege negligence maintenance, negligent inspection and a negligent response to an emergent situation. Reporter many people have been wondering if this incident has had an effect on metro rail ridership. Hard to tell so soon but we do know ridership has not declined this week. On monday, the incident day, over 583,000 trips. On tuesday, over 662,000 trips. And on wednesday, over 653,000 trips. As the investigation continues, there are many Unanswered Questions about Emergency Response. Multiple metro sources with direct knowledge of the metro system tell news4, there are socalled dead spots throughout the system where communication devices do not work. Adam tuss news4. And we have the full time line of events from monday on nbcwashington. Com. And you can find full coverage on our nbc washington app. A teacher for d. K. C. Public schools now holds one of her professions most prestigeous honors. Michelle johnson was surprised with the milken educator award, known as the oscar of teaching. She was recognized for getting kids excited about learning. She is a second grade teacher at Seton Elementary School in the shaw neighborhood. The students have shown big improvements. What inspires her the most is the kids themselves. They want to be here more than any other kids do. They appreciate the opportunity. They come here every day and work so hard and make me incredibly proud, and im here for them. And i love it. Good for her. Michelle johnson is one of 40 teachers in the country to win the award. Aside from the honor, the award comes with a check for 25,000, and johnson says she plans to use that to pay off student loan debts. This weeks deep freeze has caused many ponds and rivers to freeze over. It has First Responders warning its an accident waiting to happen if you decide to venture out on to the ice. News4s Mark Segraves joins Montgomery County rescue teams at frozen pond in potomac to see just how dangerous it can be. Stay off the ice. You cant tell looking at it here you cant tell how thick the ice is. Looking at it it might look pretty thick when in fact its really not. Reporter thats the warning from First Responders across our region. There is no frozen lake pond or canal in our area thats ever 100 safe. Very deceiving, yes. Its hard to tell. You look at it it looks great. Its strong in spots, some spots look very thick. Usually cant tell the difference in the two. Reporter even in their protective wet suits, the cold water can be overwhelming. It takes your breath away. It really does. You completely your reflexes kick in and youre fighting for air. Rep and youre gead r it. I mean imagine i guess someone dressed like me in jeans wouldnt last long. Really wouldnt last long. Reporter and its that shock of the cold water that makes it so difficult to save yourself. Typically we see people get in trouble when they flail around too much and just that initial s that water that is so cold can cause you to have some pretty dramatic responses and can drowned you. So you want to keep your head above water, whichever way you can do to swim or whatever. And just find something to hang on to get a piece of ice to grip on to. And then you just need to conserve your energy. Reporter in Montgomery CountyMark Segraves news4. Well they are getting a new lease on life. How these pickupuppi were able to escape a horrible fate and ended here in our area. One of the most popular parks in our area could cost you more to visit. Why the park service says it needs to double prices chicken imported to the u. S. Has been in the news a lot lately. And many food labels dont even mention where they came from. One way to get chicken that hasnt crossed an ocean is to look for the label with my name on it. Perdue is the First Company to have the usda go beyond whats required to verify that our chickens are raised on farms, right here in the usa. Because we believe thats what it takes to bring your family a freshtasting chicken. Perdue. We believe in a better chicken. The faces of these dogs show nothing of the horrible fate that waited them. They are now safe in Northern Virginia after being rescued from a meat farm in s 23 dogs arrived here this week on flights from dulles or to dulles. Humane Society International paid 2500 for them. They are being cared for at shelters in loudoun, manassas alexandria arlington and washington. They will soon be ready for new homes. A College Education for free. President obama made the proposal this week to make Community College free for students who maintain a 2. 5 gpa, and attend school at least part time. But theres already a Similar Program being tested out in loudoun county. Some High Schoolers are getting a chance to take College Courses in their own classrooms and it doesnt cost them a penny. Northern virginia reporter, david culver caught up with emma ashburn. Net force now comes towards me. Repor eager eyes watch him rolling through his physics experiment. Sometimes it goes away. Reporter but this Rock Ridge High School course is an experiment in and of itself. Its called college physics, and its backed by Richard Bland college in central virginia. This is absolutely huge because you get a class of kids that come from all different kinds of backgrounds, and youre getting them in a College Preparatory course which is actually a College Course now. Reporter mr. Hanky essentially doubles as a professor, because his students get eight College Credits for this yearlong course. And the cost is zero. Now, thats the beautiful part of this. We are taking a class that would have cost us close to a couple thousand dollars. Repor this junior wants to be a doctor but worries what will eventually cost her to help others. We live in a society where we mostly kind of have to go into debt to get the education that we need. And then once we have that degree we sometimes dont get a job right after college. It shouldnt be that way. I dont think i should have to be paying off my Student Loans by the time im 40. I think thats ridiculous. Rep right now, Rock Ridge High School offers the physics course for free College Credits but next year they hope to expand it to history, english and theater. While colleges are restrictive, head of counseling kevin terry, tells me the credits in this course will transfer to all virginia universities. And some 200 other colleges. So thats why these students are very excited knowing theyre getting the credit at the end of the year. Reporter eventually kevin hopes his students will graduate high school with a Free Associates degree. In ashburn, david culver news4. Thank you, david. You could pay more to enjoy the canal. The National Park service is proposing a price hike. Parking fees will go up from 5 to 10 bucks. Campground fees from 10 to 20. And if you want to reserve a table, get this the price would go from 125 to 250 a day. On weekends and holidays it would be 350 a day. Officials say the park needs to raise fees to stay open. Police officers in gaithersburg maryland may soon be wearing body cameras as part of an effort to make sure citizens and officers are safe and secure. The citys Police Department says its looking into buying body cameras and would initially be used for training purposes and drills. After about a year the department will decide whether it wants to use those cameras in the webuyanycar. Com has helped thousands of people let go of all the hassle that comes with selling or trading in. We make selling your car truck or suv fast, safe and fair with three simple steps one get your free online valuation. Two drive to your local carbuying center. Three walk out with a check in as little as thirty minutes. Buying cars is all we do. All makes and models and no dealership pressure well even settle your loan or lease. So, dont wait. Get your free online valuation now at webuyanycar. Com. Release a devastating avalanche of taste on your tongue. Bury yourself in the flavor full of sweet icing and filling. Call off the hounds rescue is unnecessary. Pillsbury toaster strudel, the snow day of breakfasts. humming oh yeah. humming theyre magically delicious. Ha very funny, kyle. Theyre such a common sight, you may not notice the large freight trains rumbling through downtown d. C. Every day. Tisha thompson and the news4 iteam show why neighborhoods and experts say they carry a bigger bang than you realized. And show you for the first time if you live and work in a potential blast zone. Reporter when Maureen Harrington moved into her home on virginia avenue southwest, she says she never thought about trains. Eight steps. Eight steps until we get to where the construction will be. Reporter but when she realized csx wants to temporarily reroute trains through her front yard so it can double the size of the nearby she started paying attention to what the tracks carried past her house each day. I didnt know how dangerous it was. Very few people do. Reporter these diamondshaped placards are the only hint these trains are carrying Hazardous Materials, which can catch fire explode, or poison us if a train derails. Thats what happened in 2013 when a Bakken Crude Oil derailment in quebec quilled killed 42 people and destroyed buildings a half mile away. Since 2004, csx has not transported Hazardous Materials through the district, including chlorine ammonia, explosives. Rep Rob Doolittle says the federal government askee company to stop transporting some of the most toxic chemicals through the district after this photo of a chlorine cart near the capital went viral. But he says other less known Hazardous Materials travel h the city because federal rules mandate csx use a 27point formula when routing its trains. The tracks that are involved other types of traffic that are on those tracks proximity to Emergency Response capabilities population density. All of those things are factored into determining what the safest and most secure route is for any particular shipment of Hazardous Materials. Reporter to find out what hazmats move through the district the iteam went trainsetting along the virginia avenue corridor for several days. Molten sulfur nitrate, clarified oil and molten phenyl. What do they have in common . A milewide evacuation zone similar to chemicals that caught fire and exploded when this train derailed in 2013 near baltimore. When we mapped it out, we discovered the zone stretches from the Washington Monument to the air and space museum anacostia to the navy yard and includes 395, 295, ten metro stations and all of the federal buildings on the south side of the mall including the u. S. Capitol. We have to inform the public. They have to be prepared. Repor d. C. Deputy fire chief aaron hawkins, says they have a Robust Training Program based on an evacuation zone at least this size if not even larger. Based on a scenario the amount of product, we will look at our response guides and make a determination. This could play out very well the distance here you have on the map. Reporter experts say its one thing to plan but its when a hazmat train derails in your own backyard. Thats what happened four hours southwest of washington, d. C. In lynchburg, virginia when tanker cars came tumbling down the hillside. What do i have on here . And that was the big thing that concerned me. Reporter battalion chief robert lipscum said this was more than a mile long when it derailed last april, meaning they couldnt get to the engine or the critical documents inside. Were trained in the classes we take that you will be able to know whats going to be there. Youre going to have the documents right in front of you. Youre going to know whats on this train and we didnt have that. Repor instead, he says they started evacuating every building you see here. Using plaque cards, he says they finally realized they were dealing with very explosive bakken crude. So these placards are important. Oh yeah. One of the big concerns theyre going to have trains running at increased speeds through an active construction site. R maureen is suing csx to prevent its project from moving forward. She says even if you dont know what the numbers mean the mere factors there means whats inside could hurt you. Csx says it quote, is committed to doing this project the right way, safely respecting our neighbors and working closely with residents and businesses to minimize impacts. It also now is providing realtime updates about what is in each car moving through lynchburg, d. C. Has access to the same system. If you want to see if you live or work in the evacuation zone go to our website, nbcwashington. Com, and click on investigations. Yo also leave a tip or question there for the iteam. He has been battling a devastating injury for two years. Now a major breakthrough. The incredible video and progress a local teen is making when news4 this week returns. Thank you cable. For the slower internet upload speeds. For making me wait longer to share my photo albums. Thank you cable, because if we never had you. We wouldnt know the incredible difference verizon fios makes. The numbers dont lie. In Customer Satisfaction studies, fios is rated 1 in Internet Speed and reliability, and hd picture quality. Get a fios triple play online at an amazing price guaranteed for two years and get a 400 bonus with a two year agreement. Hurry its your last chance this offer ends january 17th. Call the Verizon Center for customers with disabilities at 800. 974. 6006 tty v we told you last summer about a teenager from our area who was swimming with his brother and mother and wound up with a serious injury at the beach. Back in july of 2012, parker dove headfirst into the water and fractured two vertebrae in his neck. He became a quadriplegic and initially doctors said he had very little chance of any movement below his shoulders. We have an update and exciting news. In video from parkers father scott. You can see parker at physical therapy in woodbridge last week. This is the first time hes walked completely on his own in nearly twoandahal at therapy, he normally uses a cane or walker. Or has his therapist helping him stay balanced on his feet. Parker started his senior year at Hilton High School this past fall and uses a motorized wheelchair walker or cane to get around. Great stuff. Well 20 million. Thats all you need. Thats the price of the areas most expensive home sold in 2014. Accordin Listing Group mris. Check it out. This is 15 Dupont Circle also known as the patterson mansion. You may have seen it if you have driven through embassy row. It was once home to president coolidge. The property boasts more than 36,000 square feet including, we all need this a ballroom. And according to zillow has 16 bedrooms and 15 bathrooms. Wow. This is even more amazing. The firstever fleet of 3d printed cars will go on sale this year right here in the d. C. Area. A Company Called local motors is building a lab Assembly Floor and showroom at national harbor. Its known as the a micro factory. The cars will be built, designed and sold right there. Check this out. The printing process takes about two days. Visitors will be able to take part in a 3d printing. The factory is set to open this fall and is expected to bring about 100 jobs to prince georges c well thats all for news4 this week. Im doug kammerer. Thanks for joining us. Well see you next time. Ive smoked a lot and quit a lot but ended up nowhere. Now. I use this. The nicoderm cq patch with unique extended release Technology Helps prevent the urge to smoke all day. I want this time to be my last time. Thats why i choose nicoderm cq. Its 6 00 on news 4 today. This is the weekend to get out and get things done. Temperatures low this morning. Tracking big changes. Today the clock is ticking on the second probe into what caused metros under ground emergency. Good morning. Im angie goth. Welcome to news 4 today. We will get the latest on the forecast in a minute but first lets get to our news new this mog. A violent crash involving a police cruiser. Lets show you the scene. Officers shine a flashlight into this squad