The NTSB has concluded its investigation into the tragic Metrolink crash which occurred on Sept. 12th. As was suspected, the Metrolink engineer, Robert Martin Sanchez, 46, was texting during his time on duty, and sent a text message only 22 seconds prior to the crash.The NTSB asked for and requested Sanchez' cell phone records from Verizon Wireless. While he was on his shift, Sanchez received 28 text messages and sent 29.
The NTSB's press release goes into great details, and said the following (emphasis mine):
On the day of the accident, the Metrolink engineer was on duty for two periods of time. The engineer was responsible for the operation of a train from 6:44 am until 8:53 am. During this period of time, the engineer's cell phone received 21 text messages and sent 24 text messages.To be kind: a case of bad judgment. As we know, Sanchez did not stop at a red signal --- which, if he had, would have prevented the accident. At least, with the new ban on cell phone use for train operators, this type of accident will not happen again.
He was then off duty until 2:00 pm. The engineer was responsible for the operation of Metrolink train 111 from 3:03 pm until the time of the accident. During this time period, the engineer's cell phone received 7 text messages and sent 5 text messages. According to the time on the cell phone provider's records, the last text message received by the engineer's phone before the accident was at 4:21:03 pm, and the last text message sent from the engineer's cell phone was 4:22:01 pm.
A preliminary estimate for the time of the accident, according to the Union Pacific train's onboard recorders, is 4:22:23 pm. The Safety Board's Recorder Laboratory is continuing to correlate times recorded for use of the Metrolink engineer's cell phone, train recorder data, and signal system data to a common time base.
3 comments:
It was already against the Metrolink rules for the engineers to use cell phones while on duty, so this ban isn't something that is necessarily different. The engineer was just going around it by "using his cell phone," which is against the rules, to text. While the texting part may not have been spelled out before, this is what they are saying when it is under a current ban.
"Sanchez."
Another foreigner wreaking havoc on the citizens of the U.S., if not one way then another. If not selling our kids heroin, then shooting it up themselves and killing people. If not taking jobs away from legal citizens, then draining our government funds to provide illegals care and education. If not illegaly attending school, then forcing native-boirn, English speaking students to have to listen to lessons in English AND Mexican.
I'm tired of shring this country with every Pedro, Olga and Mohammed. The relatives of native-born Americans settled the Colonial states 200+ years ago and I don't recall reading about our forefathers fighting the Revolutionary War so that every flippin' country around the world could have the freedom to come and enjoy the benefits of the sacrifices of those early settlers. So goddamn many Pedros and Mohammeds hate it here and do their damndest to tear us apart, it's about flippin' time to send them packing.
You're right that it was against the rules already, but the CPUC ban makes it law.
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