LA Train Crash - at least six dead

[Trino]

Re: cell phone issue

It is my understanding that there were two caution lights before the red light that should have told the engineer to slow down. Maybe he had physical problems, but most guesses point to texting.

The real problem that we've all probably noticed is the connection to cell phones. I, for one, am tired of drivers using them. Will states have the guts to ban them? Probably not, since it's the users who are passing our laws.

 

[JBean]

Re: cell phone issue

It is my understanding that there were two caution lights before the red light that should have told the engineer to slow down. Maybe he had physical problems, but most guesses point to texting.

The real problem that we've all probably noticed is the connection to cell phones. I, for one, am tired of drivers using them. Will states have the guts to ban them? Probably not, since it's the users who are passing our laws.

I totally agree with you about texting..but we still don;t know about the texting yet. We don't know if the time on the boys cells were accurate or how long the texts took to deliver. Once the records are made available we will know.
But texting or not, this guy knew that this freight always came by..why did he speed up? that is the most curious part to me.

 

[CaliKid]

Death toll at 25, expected to rise.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/us/14crash.html?th&emc=th

 

[miss u daddy]

This story is so sad. I feel horrible for the victims and their families. I do not want to judge yet whether the engineer was texting. For them to come out and put all blame on him right away is wrong. The family is having a hard enough time dealing with the death of their loved one, but have to deal with the fact he is to blame for the deaths of 24 other people so far. If it is shown that he was NOT texting or on the phone I see a defamation of character lawsuit.
My prayers go out to all victims and their families and all involved.

 

[LinasK]

Does anyone have a street location for where this happened in Chatsworth? I think it happened pretty close to my sister's house, but I haven't talked to her.

 

[JBean]

This getting creepy now. the family of the engineers ex lover believe that the engineer killed their son when they broke it off. They did their own investigation into the 2003 apparent suicide of their son and came up with clues that it was a murder. I have to qualify this by saying that the police did not agree and the death has been deemed a suicide by hanging
Whether this may have any bearing on the case is yet to be known.

It did come out today that the engineer did do some sort of action that he could not have done if he were incapacitated prior to crash. but he did not put on the brakes. the action was something that had to do with actually beginning a manual slowing process, but the bottom line he they are almost ready to rule out things like a heart attack or a seizure. he was also the only body in the cab so they do not believe anyone else did anything to keep him from braking even after he rammed through the switch.
This investigation is far from over.

off to find links but this is all from KFI640.com

 

[JBean]

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-engineer17-2008sep17,0,6452601.story

more background on the engineer

 

[capps]

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-engineer17-2008sep17,0,6452601.story

more background on the engineer[/quote
I don't know what to think. After reading your link,it does seem like he was lonely,pleasant enough but just a bit strange.Of course,that is just my opinion and has nothing to do with the accident.The only part I'm most concerned with is the text messaging.I think once that is investigated we'll get our answers.

 

[LinasK]

Based on reports, it appears it happened right around the tunnel through the hill above the "Stoney Point Park" legend on this map:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=...9258,-118.604622&spn=0.01408,0.02208&t=h&z=16

ETA: It appears from my reading that this is the last station the passenger train stopped at, heading North - note there are 2 parallel sets of tracks here:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=...853,-118.598877&spn=0.003521,0.00552&t=h&z=18

And here, before the tunnel, is where the two tracks combine. I'd assume this is where the red signal was that the passenger train went through:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=...68149,-118.59952&spn=0.00176,0.00276&t=h&z=19

Thanks Adnoid, looks like she's within minutes of it, but not in her backyard.

 

[capps]

Oh god .... according to todays news it was confirmed the engineer texting,is what caused the accident.

 

[Saffron]

Oh god .... according to todays news it was confirmed the engineer texting,is what caused the accident.

Have they confirmed that the text sent to the teenage boys a minute before the crash was actually sent at that time? If that is determined, people are going to be outraged. How much more senseless could this be?

 

[capps]

Have they confirmed that the text sent to the teenage boys a minute before the crash was actually sent at that time? If that is determined, people are going to be outraged. How much more senseless could this be?

I guess I am jumping a bit before the actual confirmation. But I don't think it's a big stretch of the imagination to realize what happened.

The investigators confirmed he was texting that day while on duty. They determined that the train brakes were not applied, all stop signals were working properly.The engineer took a two hour nap during his mid-day break. They contacted the two teens that claimed they were exchanging texts with the engineer talking "shop",and a text to one of the teens came in one minute before the crash.

So,although they are not confirming the actual text,I think it's safe to say it's pretty obvious.

Just a sad tragedy all the way around.

 

[JBean]

There are so many horror stories with this crash. the 911 calls were released and it is awful.
One man died on impact and his cell phone kept calling his friends and family over and over for many hours after the crash. They are pretty freaked out.

 

[JBean]

Train Victim's Cell Kept Calling Loved Ones After He Died


SIMI VALLEY -- One local family whose loved one died in the Metrolink collision is still questioning something that happened that night.
They got several phone calls from 49-year-old Chuck Peck after the crash. But they now know he died on impact.
http://www.ktla.com/landing_topstor...-Calling-Loved-On=1&blockID=60713&feedID=1198

 

[capps]

Oh JBean,reading that article just gave me shivers up and down my spine.

 

[Texana]

JBean, that just makes me think of the Shakespeare line from Hamlet: "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

I am glad the family is taking this as a kind of encouragement from their loved one.

And there certainly seems to be something a bit unexplained and unusual about the train engineer, as well. Am I the only one who sees this as showing up on a CSI episode in the future? Or Law and Order?

My thoughts for all the families involved in this tragedy!

 

[JBean]

JBean, that just makes me think of the Shakespeare line from Hamlet: "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

I am glad the family is taking this as a kind of encouragement from their loved one.

And there certainly seems to be something a bit unexplained and unusual about the train engineer, as well. Am I the only one who sees this as showing up on a CSI episode in the future? Or Law and Order?

My thoughts for all the families involved in this tragedy!

Oh it is certainly a tragedy.
here are some 911 Calls released today

 

[angelmom]

Oh it is certainly a tragedy.
here are some 911 Calls released today

That is horrific to listen to. It is astonishing to me to listen to how calm the 911 operators are able to remain while hearing these details. It takes a special person to do that job, and I am so grateful for them.

 

[CaliKid]

Train Victim's Cell Kept Calling Loved Ones After He Died


SIMI VALLEY -- One local family whose loved one died in the Metrolink collision is still questioning something that happened that night.
They got several phone calls from 49-year-old Chuck Peck after the crash. But they now know he died on impact.
http://www.ktla.com/landing_topstor...-Calling-Loved-On=1&blockID=60713&feedID=1198

I'm glad he didn't suffer and his family was comforted by the weird calls.

 

[capps]

Although at a much lesser scale,a light rail train hit a bus in Los Angeles,injuring 14 this morning. Apparently,an out of service bus,driven by a mechanic turned in front of the train,upon impact it knocked the trains' front car off the track. LA people are getting nervous about taking the trains.

Well,I can't blame them. What is going on?