Authorities: Engineer texting on day of wreck

[orleans]

By DAISY NGUYEN – 1 hour ago

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Federal authorities investigating why a Metrolink commuter train ran a red signal and into an oncoming freight train have confirmed that the engineer was text messaging while working on the day of the fatal collision.

The revelation came Wednesday, a day before the California Public Utilities Commission was scheduled to vote Thursday on a proposed emergency order banning the use of cell phones while operating a train. Commission President Michael R. Peevey, who is seeking the order, said some railroads have such policies but they're widely ignored.

"Our order would make it the law and we'll go after violators," Peevey said earlier in the week.

Southern California's Metrolink prohibits rail workers from using cell phones on the job, but there is no current federal or state regulation regarding the use of cell phones by railroad employees.

~more at link~

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g-xsvlkTx_cLm6dJHngndxwYFgNAD9399J400

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. Paging Perry Mason. Paging Perry Mason, esq.

[orleans]

2. just don't start paging him if you're operating a vehicle. n/t

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

3. He was either texting or he wasn't.

He is either a patsy or a fool.

I doubt that I'll ever know which.

[orleans]

4. from the link: he had been texting:

In a statement issued Wednesday night, the NTSB did not say how many messages were found in the records or if any texting occurred just before the collision. However, the teens told KCBS-TV last week that they received a text message from the engineer at 4:22 p.m. — a minute before the collision.