Train Accidents Help
September 18, 2008Engineer was texting on the job before Chatsworth train crash
Federal officials investigating last week’s train crash in Chatsworth have confirmed that the engineer operating the commuter train involved in the wreck was text messaging at work on the day of the accident. At least 25 people were killed and more than 130 injured when a Metrolink commuter train collided head on with a freight train traveling on the same track.The announcement from National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials confirms previous reports that the engineer was sending text messages just moments before the Chatsworth train crash occurred. Two teenage train enthusiasts told a local TV station last week that then had received a text message from the engineer just one minute before the train wreck took place.
The NTSB investigation into the Chatsworth train crash has determined that the engineer ran a red warning light that could have prevented the accident and did not apply the brakes on the train before colliding with the oncoming freight train. Officials say that all the signals on the track were working properly, and that human error was to blame for the crash.
Although Metrolink regulations prohibit engineers from using cell phones or other electronic devices in the cabin, there are currently no laws in place banning cell phone use while operating a train. The California Public Utilities Commission is scheduled to vote on an emergency order this week which would put such a ban into place.