Posted on 03/16/2004 6:06:50 PM PST by nuconvert
Investigation Finds Human, Mechanical Error in New York City Train Wreck
Mar 16, 2004
By Michael Weissenstein/ Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK (AP) - Human and mechanical errors led to an accident in which a runaway train locomotive smashed into five vehicles, injuring three men and a nun, federal investigators said Tuesday. A rail crew violated Long Island Railroad procedures by not setting a hand brake or blocking the 150-ton locomotive's wheels while they went to work on another train, the National Transportation Safety Board said.
A mechanical brake that the crew set was leaking air and eventually failed, and another mechanical device designed to derail runaway trains also failed, allowing the locomotive to roll out of the Queens yard and through several intersections, federal investigators said.
The five crew members have been put on paid leave pending the outcome of the NTSB probe, LIRR spokesman Brian Dolan said.
A union official said the locomotive's braking system had problems four days before the March 10 crash, the Daily News reported Tuesday. In that case, a conductor leaped aboard and applied the hand brake, the official told the newspaper.
Three of the injured remained hospitalized Tuesday. One was in critical condition.
See,... it wasn't the fault of any SUV's.
That's good to know. Thanks
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