A $200-million pot was established last week to pay for the more than 100 lawsuits that have been filed in the aftermath of the 2008 Metrolink train crash in Chatsworth, just outside Simi Valley.

Southern California Metrolink, as well as the engineer-contracting company Connex, filed a document Wed., Aug. 25 creating the fund, the maximum potential-for-liability amount for the crash under federal law.

“The fund was designed to get the money to the victims on an expedited basis,” said Keith Millhouse, Moorpark City Council member and chair of Metrolink. “Alternatively, it could take years to go through the litigation process.”

If the plaintiffs cannot come up with an agreement, the court will distribute the money as it deems equitable, Millhouse said.

“It will likely involve them presenting their unique situations to the court,” he added.

Twenty-five people were killed in the Sept. 12 crash, including engineer Robert Sanchez, who investigators say ran a red light while texting young rail enthusiasts on his cellphone. The northbound train collided with a Union Pacific freight train near the Chatsworth station in the San Fernando Valley.

Twenty-one of the victims were from Ventura County, including 10 from Simi Valley. More than 130 people were injured.

Asked if he thought $200 million was sufficient for the victims, Millhouse said: “I recognize that no amount of money will undo the damage that the texting engineer caused. And I don’t create the laws—I have to work within them.

“All I can do is get the maximum amount under the law. That’s where I focus my efforts.”

Simi resident Bea Watts, who was sitting in the second train car and suffered severe internal injuries, is one of those who filed a lawsuit against Metrolink.

She said the cap is unfair and that Metrolink should “do the right thing.”

“I still have medical expenses,” Watts said. “I’m still not back to work full duty. I continue to suffer; my family continues to suffer, and I will probably need future surgeries, my injuries were so severe. And I’m still in therapy.

“I just want to make sure that I’m going to be taken care of financially for all of the damages that they caused.”