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Not even 24 hours after the crash, Metrolink Spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell announced that the engineer was to blame because he ran a red light. According to CBS2, she was authorized by the CEO to release the fact and that it was based off a confirmation from the National Transportation Safety Board investigation.
But the NTSB was quick to say that was premature and halted Metrolink from announcing anything else. "I don't know on what basis Metrolink made that statement. We really work very hard not to jump to conclusions," Kitty Higgins is quoted in the LA Times from the Sunday news conference in Woodland Hills.
She quit yesterday releasing this statement: "As a result of actions taken during a closed session Metrolink board of directors meeting yesterday afternoon, as well as subsequent press statements by Metrolink board members concerning me -- I have resigned my position as spokesperson for Metrolink."
It should be noted that throughout this tragedy, Metrolink has sent out zero e-mails to its usual press list that LAist is on. However, they did set up a webpage to keep people informed.
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Saying the engineer "may have been at fault" is not quite the same thing as saying he was at fault.
Having said that I'm frankly troubled by two unrelated aspects of reporting on Tyrell's resignation and the accident itself.
The board's statement to Tyrell is missing. I'd really like to know what was said to her that caused her to tender a resignation. Also, "resignation" as a word, often disguises an actual firing. Was she fired or just given an untenable alternative?
Second, news reports state that the lights the engineer needed to heed were at De Soto, Lassen, Chatsworth Station, and Nashville street. The Associated Press stated that the lights are typically yellow, yellow, yellow, followed by red. Yellow meaning slow and red meaning stop. However, if there is indeed a light at Nashville (a very short cull-de-sac) that light is not even two hundred feet from the deadly curve.
This map shows as much. It took me a while to find Nashville St. because a) the street is so small and b) it's very close to the site of the collision.
Which begs the question; if the light at Nashville was red was that really enough time?
I know this doesn't provide any conclusive information, but it still bothers me.
FWIW, the exact wording of Tyrrell's statement on Saturday was: "Our preliminary investigation shows that it was the Metrolink engineer that failed to stop at a red signal that caused yesterday's crash..."
This appeared in news accounts as a statement of fact, not a "may have" projection, and is incredibly inappropriate to the victims, survivors, and the family of the engineer. She should have been fired -- the correct thing to do was to not make any statement on the possible cause of the crash pending the investigation. At the time of this statement, Saturday afternoon, there were still bodies in the wreckage.
I'm still shocked that the only "signal" is a red light -- without any aural accompaniment, perhaps some sort of alarm was in order. After all, by the time Metrolink HQ called to warn the train that it had run the red, the crash had already occurred.
Denise Tyrrell did not quit for blaming the engineer too quickly. She quit because her comments to the public were approved. Let me assure you that she would NOT have made those comments, if the CEO had not approved the message. This is an experienced professional, with a stellar reputation. She would not have made those comments without approval. That's not how crisis communication works. She's not resigning. She's being pushed out by Metrolink who's succumbing to Board pressures.
So, maybe you could change that headline...
Yeah blame a dead guy.
These investigations usually take months but not this one, hey look this guy isn't around to plead his side of the story, lets blame him and we all are off the hook.
Sad.
She should have been fired
Then so should the CEO because this morning he stated on KABC that Denise Tyrell should not have resigned for making a statement he specifically approved.
I have another question. How can the engineer steer his train onto a side track; doesn't this require someone else?
I have a feeling the accident is not the sole responsibility of the engineer. That, as others have said, there were a number of factors leading up to this, not simply inattention on the engineer's part.
the engineer was too busy playing with his cell phone,and placed the life of dozens of people second in importance to his text messages.
This is why incompetent idiots should not be allowed to operate machinery of any kind, especially if there are human passengers.
This guy was probably an illiteral illegal mexican.
the engineer was too busy playing with his cell phone,and placed the life of dozens of people second in importance to his text messages.
This is why incompetent idiots should not be allowed to operate machinery of any kind, especially if there are human passengers.
This guy was probably an illiterate illegal mexican.
kk thank you for confirming my suspicions that all bigots are dumb asses.
jrb,
What is the school dropout rate of mexicans in the U.S. ?
Answer: 50%
And even those who do manage to graduate, do so very low in their class on average.
Now, tell me who are the dumb asses.
"Now, tell me who are the dumb asses."
Bigots like you.
No doubt jrb...
That's why it's best to let the mexicans pick lettuce or scrub toilets. Dozens of people don't die if the mexican fux up those jobs.
Better yet, deport them all.
Just for grins I think I'll waste time on one more post at you kk.
I was very happy and encouraged to watch the last of vestiges of organized bigotry go down in the flames of their own corruption recently. The fearless leader of The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps got caught with his hands in the cookie jar and the entire organization in dissaray.
It must be pretty depressing for them anyway. To plan a demonstration and have more hecklers than supporters show up. That's the way it was at the last Minuteman Civil Defense Corps' demonstration in Downtown L.A.
I know because I was one of the hecklers.
Maybe you should seek sunnier climes kk. There are still small pockets of people in Texas, Alabama, or Mississippi who are openly racist. There's just not a lot here anymore. Maybe you'd feel more welcome and accepted someplace like that.
I'll even help you pack.
Yes she said a statement her CEO told her to say. That is not her job as a spokesperson. A communications professional is tasked with guiding the communications of their organization and weighing its effect among the public. She should have urged her CEO to release a message that assured the public of a thorough investigation, thanked first responders, and expressed sorrow for the the families affected. A professional communicator does not place blame, they tell succinct fact and gather information and keep that information to protect the public and their organization. It was irresponsible to lay blame, when they needed to take action and act with the utmost responsibility. Leave the blame game to the politicians. They use speech writers, not professional communicators. Big difference.
jrb,
If you and your fellow mexican immigrants are so proud of your heritage and nationality, why have 1/3rd of your population abandoned your country, your countrymen and you culture in order to come to America? Why do selfish, ingrateful mexicans choose to run away from their homeland instead of fixing it for themselves and their people. Mexicans want the infrastructure, schools, hospitals, jobs, and benefits of a great country, but have not done anything to build this society in America NOR in mexico. They just want to run away from mexico and in the process transform America INTO mexico.
kk, not that it matters a great deal, but I am the great grandchild of Irish immigrants. Unless you were born Native American you too are the progeny of immigrant ancestors.
People like you used to make me ashamed to be Caucasian. Fortunately most of you have either changed or gone into hiding in you racist little enclaves.
Please do decent folks every where a favor and STAY THERE! You are NOT my countrymen.
Here's a little advice;
LEARN ENGLISH! You write like a third grader.
LEARN SOME AMERICAN HISTORY! This is a country of immigrants, and they didn't all come here with papers. America was built and made great by immigrants, and they weren't all European immigrants. California WAS Mexico little more than 150 years ago and the childern of many of those people live here today. They didn't cross the border, the border crossed them!
Educate yourself dumbass!
You are the one who writes like a third grader, and are regurgitating the same lies and propaganda that is being taught in grade school these days.
It was not until the 1970s and after that 1/3 of mexican citizens have illegally immigrated north. The mexicans who were in California, Texas, California, etc before the Mexican-American war were not sent south. They remained where they were. We only sent the soldiers packing. It's illegal immigration that Americans have a problem with. And it's not just me, it's the vast majority of Americans.
As for the territory that you claim was mexico 150 years ago: Following your logic, we should allow 30 million French citizens to illegally immigrate to Missouri, Louisiana, Arkansas,and other states that we acquired from Napoleon in the 1800s.
And Alaska is not really ours either. We should give it back to Russia. Toledo belongs in Canada. Florida should be given to Spain.
"The mexicans who were in California, Texas, California, etc before the Mexican-American war were not sent south."
During the Great Depression many Mexican Americans were, just for having brown skin and a Spanish surname.
"As for the territory that you claim was mexico 150 years ago:"
That's not a claim, that's a fact. Read some history.
"Following your logic we should allow 30 million French citizens...yada, yada, yada..."
Bullshit! I njever sa
It's not French, or any other kind of white immigrants you have a problem with. It's only brown ones. You let yourself be tooled by right wing politicians who want to blame all our problems on immigrants from Mexico so they can create villans and get bigots like you to vacantly nod you heads and vote for them.
None of the previous waves of immigration to the USA were hordes of illegal immigrants. The Irish, Italians, Jews, Poles, were all legal. Even the current immigration from Somalia (and other African countries), Asia, and all over the world are legal immigration. For some reason, some politicians think that mexicans don't need to follow the rules.
You are lying when you say that people who are against illegal immigration are racist. No one complains about legal immigration from asia or africa. It's the millions upon millions of illegals from mexico that are the problem and it's a huge problem.
You have been proven wrong so many times, it's not worth arguing with you, because you are too stupid to reason with.
"The Irish, Italians, Jews, Poles, were all legal."
Bullshit
"Even the current immigration from Somalia (and other African countries), Asia, and all over the world are legal immigration."
Double bullshit. So all those Chinese that were being smuggled over in shipping containers a couple years back had papers?
"You are lying when you say that people who are against illegal immigration are racist."
Mexicans are the only ones I hear you bitching about. You have a problem with Mexicans. IE you are a racist.
"You have been proven wrong so many times, it's not worth arguing with you, because you are too stupid to reason with."
Geeze I'm so crushed by your rapier like wit and superior intellect. (that's sarcasim in case you didn't catch it)