Los Angeles commuter train crash: Driver 'distracted by text message'
 

A train driver blamed for missing a red signal shortly before two trains collided in Los Angeles last week killing 25 people may have been distracted by text messages right before the crash, officials have said.

More.

if thats the case, should convict him of criminal negligence or something in relation to the deaths of all those people, or involuntary manslaughter.

i'm no lawyer, but this guy needs to be given some serious time if thats the case.

I believe the train driver was killed in the crash.

oh.... well, i guess i have nothing more to say on the topic other than, im not sure how they could prove he was blinded or ill suddenly ..

Feel the awesomeness of communication.

That would suck.

Quick... someone attibute this to the iPhone or something... I wanna see Steve Jobs have a heart attack.

Using a cell phone while at work should be a firing offense unless it's during scheduled breaks like lunch!

Man i was kinda pissed off while watching the news on this whole deal. I mean like 20 hours after it happened they were already blaming the driver to cover thier asses. I smell cover up but thats me.

He blew through a red light. Who would you blame?

he also missed the 2 yellow lights preceding the red. must've been a long text eh.

Wow, that's fucked up....

i like how its easier to blame text messages and human error were the reason, when sooo many other railroads have technology that stops this type of accident.

C O V E R U P for lack of technology and railroads that have methods of shutting down trAINS ON THE SAME TRACK.

That is so sad.

QUICK SEARCHES REVEAL THIS HAS BEEN NEGLECTED (JUST LIKE LEVEES IN nEW ORLEANS FOR DECADES)

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/tr...,5390210.story

"The NTSB for decades has recommended collision-avoidance devices for corridors where passenger and freight trains use the same track. Railroads say the technology costs too much and isn't reliable."

The people at fault here are the same ones placing the blame on some dead guy. Very convenient, but this problem has been around for decades.

Its no different than underfunded levees in Louisiana.

"costs too much"

Wouldn't that be a good reason to put the phone down?

i bet it was an important text, like all texts.

something along the lines of

"hey, what r u doing saturday? wanna come over and play xbox? bring beers! ;-0"

"A train driver blamed for missing a red signal shortly before two trains collided in Los Angeles last week killing 25 people may have been distracted by text messages right before the crash, officials have said."

The sentence says "may have been" - nowhere does it state anything other than a POSSIBILITY. You claim he was actually using his phone, I have YET to read that from anyone but you.

I am not here to debate possibilities, but the fact is, people have already begun placing the blame on a dead guy instead of focusing on how to make sure this doesnt happen again.

The blame game always tops the ones who know what really caused this. Lack of technology due to the most common phrase used before devastation occurs, "costs too much."

I thought that I heard that he bailed at the last second, and was injured, but alive.

Guess my memory is failing me. Would you mind pointing out where I said he was actually using his phone?

http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=10023

"put the phone down"

just because his phone got a text message during his hours at work, does NOT equate to him having to "put the phone down."

Why do you try such amateur semantics during these types of threads?

You claimed he needed to put the phone down, simply - it was in his hands.

Nowhere has anyone made that claim. Cept, you.

Not really my fault that you do not watch or read the news

A local TV station, KCBS, reported that a teenage train enthusiast claimed to have received a cell phone text message from the commuter train engineer about a minute before the collision.

US investigators are examining reports that two teenage train enthusiasts received a text message from the engineer driving one of the trains moments before the crash.

Kitty Higgins, a board member for the National Transportation Safety Board, says her agency is also talking with the two teens and their families. The teens told KCBS-TV that they received a text message from the engineer at 4:22 p.m. Friday, just moments before the deadly crash.

I am not the one that suggested he was texting.

Let me help you: http://www.google.com/search?sa=N&ta...20cell%20phone

jesus that's horrible

I think its fucked up how fast metrolink jumped to blame the dead guy. The NTSB has jumped all over them and shot down every news piece they can find saying that at this time there is no way to know. It appears that metrolink is attempting to shift the blame to the outside contractor that supplies the train operators. The NTSB says that it can still be any number of things. Just blaming a dead guy without knowing or having the phone records is way wrong. I will wait for the NTSB's report of the investigation.