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Metrolink Crash Probe: Engineer Often Let Teens 'Ride Along'
A closeup from the rescue effort. Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist
A closeup from the rescue effort. Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist
On September 12, 2008, Angelenos and the nation watched in horror as emergency personnel responded to what would soon go down as the worst train crash in recent US history when a Metrolink train collided with a freight train in Chatsworth. As investigators continue to probe the incident and Robert M. Sanchez, the Engineer at the wheel on that deadly day, more information is coming to light about the man's work habits.
"Federal investigators have cellphone text messages indicating that [Sanchez] sometimes allowed teenagers to ride with him in the cabs of locomotives while carrying passengers," reports the LA Times, although "there is no evidence that any teenagers, described by sources as rail enthusiasts, rode the commuter rail with engineer [him] on the day of the accident."
These ride-alongs allegedly took place on multiple occasions, the text messages reveal; to do so is "a serious violation of safety regulations and could create dangerous distractions."
Right now the National Transportation Safety Board is working on a release of "details on text messaging and other factors" that they believe contributed to the fatal crash. These details further intensify the scrutiny placed on Metrolink regarding their oversight and operations. Although texting with or talking on a cellphone while operating a Metrolink train has always been against policy, "safety investigators have said that Sanchez received and sent 57 text messages while on duty the day of the crash," which includes the one registered 22 seconds before the trains hit. Last month lawyers of the victims of the crash said Metrolink knew about Sanchez's bad habit, but did nothing about it.
Next week the NTSB begins hearings focused on the other controversy in the case, this involving the color of the signal Sanchez followed; officials claim it was red, while eyewitnesses at the Chatsworth station claim it was green.
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