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Engineer texting 22 seconds
before deadly crash
Source: CBC
Published: October 1st 2008
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The engineer of a commuter train sent a text message 22 seconds
before a head-on collision with a freight train in suburban Los Angeles
that killed 25 people, investigators said Wednesday. The National
Transportation Safety Board said the cell phone records of Robert
Sanchez show he received a text message one minute, 20 seconds before
the crash. He then sent one about a minute later.
The commuter train smashed into a Union Pacific freight train near
Chatsworth, Calif., on Sept. 12.
Sanchez, 46, died in the crash, which also injured 135 people, nine of
them critically.
Sanchez sent his last text message at 4:22:01 p.m. According to the
freight train's onboard recorder, the accident occurred at 4:22:23 p.m.
Records obtained from Sanchez's cellphone provider also showed that he
sent 24 text messages and received 21 messages over a two-hour period
during his morning shift. During his afternoon shift, he received seven
and sent five messages.
Crash cause still unknown
NTSB investigators were continuing to correlate times from Sanchez's
cellphone, the train recorders and data from the railway signal system.
"I am pleased with the progress of this major investigation to date,"
acting NTSB chairman Mark Rosenker said in a statement.
"We are continuing to pursue many avenues of inquiry to find what caused
this accident and what can be done to prevent such a tragedy in the
future."
Board spokesman Terry Williams declined to release information about who
was exchanging text messages with Sanchez.
Investigators say the two trains were in sight of each other only for a
few seconds before the crash. The freight engineer was able to apply
brakes but brakes were never applied on the commuter train.
Emergency crews worked through the night and most of the next day to
pull injured people and dead bodies from the wreckage.
A Metrolink rail official said at the time that the engineer failed to
stop the commuter train at a red signal.
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