Posted on 09/14/2008 8:50:12 PM PDT by BurbankKarl
There is trouble in the kingdom!
That is why they call Metrolink, LA County’s Toy Train Set
i thought that was odd.
it was on the front page of the los angeles times this morning.
It was front page world wide...within minutes.
The 2 kids with text messages have been visited by the Feds.....with warrants for their cell phone records, etc
Sounds like someone finally bothered to talk to a lawyer. Retracting the admission isn’t going to do them much good at this point.
but metrolink went with it.
that’s what’s wrong.
And for the same reasons. /s
There is not one word there saying the first statement wasn’t the truth about what happened. So it seems to just be so much CYA.
There is not one word there saying the first statement wasn’t the truth about what happened. So it seems to just be so much CYA.
You most likely can go there and still see the red light.
Paging Willie Green!
Oh what fun it is to ride on a union employee operated billion dollar toy train!
Silly old me thinks he smells a cover-up.
The basic issue is this: if it really was the engineer's fault, especially if it was a negligent or deliberate act, Metrolink may be able to escape some liability, and certainly will not be liable for punitive damages.
Now if there was faulty equipment, deferred maintenance, any one of a thousand things, Metrolink may be liable for punitive damages.
How best to avoid that? Blame the now-dead engineer. He won't defend himself, and they can sweep any mechanical problems under the rug.
I see the basic issue this way: Did or did not Metrolink have in place sufficient precautions against an engineer's disastrous use of a cellphone when he was required to drive the train. The way most people/jurors feel about cellphone abusers, metrolink would be better off if the engineer had been drunk or asleep, rather than on a cellphone.
A simple lowering gate, like that found at the exit of most commercial parking lots (instead of just a red light with no obstruction) may have prevented this tragedy.
That works sometimes for autos at rail crossings, and it also fails often. I have never heard of gates for trains before. Since the normal stopping distance for trains is in miles, I really don't understand how a gate would work, or even where you would put it.
The faulty equipment you are referring to has a recorded history. The investigation will reveal what the signal showed as Metrolink went by. The trains themselves have black boxes which will show the speed, the control manipulations by the engineer, and even the times he blew the engine whistle. Nobody is going to be able to cover anything up.
I forgot to mention that the control center in Pamona saw the red light indicator and tried to contact the train before the accident, but didn’t in time.
It’s quite clear what took place, and it will all be confirmed in time.
Actually, the track has already been repaired and within 15 hours the Metrolink and Amtrack will be running over that section of track again.
Testing on those lights and track is immanent as I type this.
This is according to the ABC television news affiliate in Los Angeles.
You may already know this, but others might not. Metrolink has a strict policy against Engineers using any personal electronic equipment when on duty.
The story gets weirder, and weirder and weirder.
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