September 14th 2008
Metrolink May Have Been Deadliest Text Message Crash
E
veryone presumes that the engineer of the crashed Metrolink train, tentatively ID’d as Robert Sanchez, was asleep when he blew through a red light, but a local TV station says it might have been quite different:
Metrolink officials Saturday put the blame squarely on the engineer of the train for the deadly crash that has claimed at least 25 lives. They say he ran a red light.
But a group of local teenage train enthusiasts who knew the engineer well, doubt that he was to blame.
They called their friend professional and caring and said he helped them learn about trains and being an engineer. They said he would “never” have been reckless or unprofessional or run a red light.
But one minute before the deadliest crash in Metrolink history, one teen — Nick Williams — said he received a text message on his cell phone from the engineer, whom the teens identified as Robert Sanchez.
Williams’ received text was brief, “Just two lines”, reported KCAL 9 and CBS 2 reporter Kristine Lazar, exclusively.
The text apparently told Williams and his friends where Sanchez would be meeting another passenger train. (source)
The NTSB is taking it seriously, checking out phone records and talking to the boys – after all, the text message came in at 4:22 p.m., moments before the crash.
Here in California, they’ve banned talking on a hand-held cell phone, but there still no law against text messaging while driving.
Hat-tip: Jim
Posted in Gadgets & Gizmos, Uncategorized | 1 Comment » | |
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September 17th, 2008 at 7:55 am
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