LA commuter train wreck

[madmonkeygirl]

I really hope texting was not involved in the factor. I really do for all those lives lost at the hands of that conductor. Yes many people do break the rules when it comes to cell phones, internet, texting etc while at work but in this case when someone is in charge of driving a Metrolink train or any public transportation including aeroplanes and have peoples lives in their hands texting should be the last thing they are doing while working.

[Tenigma]

From the Orange County Register:

"Nick Williams, a teenage train enthusiast, told CBS2 in Los Angeles he exchanged three text messages with engineer Robert Sanchez Friday afternoon. Williams, who considered Sanchez a “mentor,” received the last text at 4:22 p.m., one minute before the train wreck, according to the ocregister.com report. Williams' claims have not been confirmed.

Sanchez, who was killed in the crash, said in his final text he would be meeting up with another passenger train later that day.

“I just replied back, 'good deal,' and I just said, 'That's cool,' and I never got a response back," Williams reportedly told CBS2."

[CoasterMatt]

According to news reports, the 3 person crew of the freight train survived.

[Stan4dSteph]

Originally Posted by CoasterMatt

According to news reports, the 3 person crew of the freight train survived.

That's great news. Where was it reported? I didn't see any mention in the few articles I skimmed this morning, but there are a lot of them.

[~MS~]

That is incredible good news if it's true but can you share a link because I had heard that they had counted the conductor of the freight among the dead and then another report mentioned finding the engineer.

I know that one of the news reports talked about them interviewing the crews but I believe that includes the dispatchers involved.


Edited to add, I see that whoever suggested that the spokeswoman for Metro was right, she resigned. The report I read doesn't say if it was a voluntary or forced resignation but I'm sure that the suggestion that she was premature in her assesment came into play even tho she was proven to be correct in that it was in fact the Metro that was in the wrong.

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by alphabassettgrrl

The other crew member denied the engineer was texting.

I'll begin by saying that I haven't kept up on the news on this story this weekend other than the tidbits I catch on news radio while making some brief trips. But if the "other crew member" was in the locomotive with the engineer, I doubt he or she is still alive and if so, I doubt he or she is in a lucid state at this point. Purely speculative opinion on my part of course.

Originally Posted by Kevy Baby on Saturday

Something tells me that Denise Tyrell will have a different job next week for coming out with this info so soon.

Sadly, my prediction was correct. From a "corporate spokesperson" perspective, she was too soon in making the statement, even if it was correct.

[madmonkeygirl]

Been watching the local news this morning and they said again that the crew of the freight train survived. All 3 of them. I haven't seen a link oh yeah duh MSN homepage i clicked on the story and it's in there i think. Good news at least. But they're still saying they are investigating the signal but the track was switch track was bent like a banana and it shouldn't have if they had taken the precaution and stopped at the final light rather than jump it. Just sad to know Metrolink was at fault in this accident. Those people who lost their lives won't get them back. Their families won't get them back. In the end all that matters is lives were lost at human hands.

[alphabassettgrrl]

That's great that the freight crew survived.

Off to go check this morning's coverage.

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by ~MS~

Edited to add, I see that whoever suggested that the spokeswoman for Metro was right, she resigned. The report I read doesn't say if it was a voluntary or forced resignation but I'm sure that the suggestion that she was premature in her assesment came into play even tho she was proven to be correct in that it was in fact the Metro that was in the wrong.

From this LA Times Article:

The assurances came on the same day that Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell resigned after Metrolink board members told The Times that she spoke prematurely in saying Friday's crash that killed 25 people was caused by an engineer's mistake.

Tyrrell said she had spoken with Metrolink's chief executive and was authorized to release the basic facts of the investigation before announcing Saturday that the Metrolink driver ran a red light on the rail line shared by Union Pacific freighters.

She said today that she was upset by the statement that Metrolink board Chairman Ron Roberts made to The Times on Sunday -- that her statement Saturday was premature--and that he made to the Wall Street Journal that she was not authorized to make a statement blaming the engineer.

"I felt the damage to my reputation is so great, I could not work for these people anymore," she said. "If I am not mistaken, the engineer blew through a light. The media got on top of this story, apparently so unaccustomed to a public agency telling the truth, they started to spin it that we were trying to throw all the blame on the engineer.

"Metrolink is responsible for the engineer, they are responsible for overseeing the contractor. Talking about the human error aspect of this is not a way to shift blame from Metrolink. Metrolink is still the responsible party to oversee the contract with the engineer and the conductors."

She said Metrolink's chief executive, David Solow, gave her the authority to make statements to the media Saturday about the cause of the crash.

"He told me to go ahead. . . . I felt that when my reputation was called into question in the national media by Ron Roberts that there was no going back as far as I was concerned," she said. "I believe that David Solow's decision to allow us to go public without waiting for the NTSB to point the finger was a brave and honorable thing to do. We have a basic difference here that can't be resolved. I see no way I can represent them and maintain my own standards. They are free to conduct their own business as they see fit."

Assuming this is true, I applaud her for standing up for herself!

[~MS~]

I'd say that it rings true to me....and kudos to her for having the courage and strength to stand up for her own ethics.