Posted on 09/18/2008 4:05:54 PM PDT by kellynla
The state agency responsible for train safety voted unanimously today to direct railroad operators to immediately ban the use of cellphones by on-duty engineers, conductors and other rail workers.
Officials with the Public Utilities Commission said the deadly Metrolink crash in Chatsworth last week was at least the third train accident in which the use of cellphones may have been a factor. Twenty-five people died and 135 were injured when a commuter train ran through a warning signal in Chatsworth and collided head-on with a Union Pacific freight train.
Federal investigators said this week that records from Metrolink engineer Robert M. Sanchez's cellphone show he sent and received text messages while on duty Friday. But they have not yet determined whether Sanchez was using his phone at the time of the accident.
"It's extremely unfortunate that it took this terrible Metrolink-UP tragedy to focus our attention on this very serious issue," said commission member Rachelle B. Chong.
Cellphone use would be allowed in emergencies but only after a train was stopped.
"The emphasis will be on making sure the owners of the trains are enforcing this rule," said Richard Clark, a PUC safety director. "We will hold the owners of the trains responsible."
Fines would start at $500 per violation, but could go as high as $20,000.
Officials had already been concerned about cellphone use before last Friday's crash because it appeared to be a factor in a June accident in San Francisco and another in July in Sacramento. Officials said they are depending on rail workers and members of the public to report violations, and may set up a hotline to receive complaints.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
shaking my head...rolling my eyes... to think that anyone operating a train would have to have someone tell them that they should not be text messaging while on the job is just absurd!
Why not ban gay engineers with teenage boyfriends?
It would make more sense.
Guess it had nothing to do with an engineer who had more personal problems than a fat mouse in a cat house...
ping
wait what? Not that I disagree but how is that relevant?
What is even more absurd is that you can still text message while driving your vehicle at 65 mph on the freeway in California.
Imagine that! They ban the use of hand-held phones stuck to your ear but not the act of texting while driving. There is a bill that passed but as of yet hasn’t been signed.
Unbelievable.
Yeah, the coverup around this engineer is something to behold. How many more suicidal homosexuals with Aids and rap sheets a yard long are at the Amtrak controls, insulated from scrutiny because of political correctness gone nuts? Airline pilots get everything but an anal probe every time they fly, but apparently any nut can walk into Amtrak and demand to have hundreds of lives put in his hands and they just say, “Sure, sign here”???
See, that is what has been my concern all along.
Either ‘someone’ mucked with the lights, or the Commuter Train engineer left the yard at high speed, blew through the red signals, and only slowed for the upcoming curve.
As if he wanted to meet the Freight train head on.
Someone with his experience doesn’t miss lights that he knows are life/death signals.
I have a feeling there was an impending legal crisis (arrest? bankruptcy?) going on with him.
I do know the Metrolink is wanting to blame someone other than themselves for not having more safety equipment in place.
Yeah, xcamel's and Wil H's comment made me look up the history about this engineer (Mr. Sanchez). I didn't realize he had so much 'going on'. To be accurate, it was the engineer's 'long time HIV positive partner' that committed suicide. The engineer wasn't necessarily suicidal... Although the sister of his deceased 'partner', seemed to imply that that she thought her brother was off'd by Mr. Sanchez.
As xcamel wrote, he seemed to have more problems going on in his life than a fat mouse in a house full of hungry cats... Not particularly the guy you want responsible for the lives of 100s of passengers on a train.
Gay, old boyfriend had HIV, committed suicide, was txtng a teenage boy, lived in 9 different states, serves some time, and I'm betting lots of other troubles...
Thanks..
I thought I read I an article online that the engineers had already been banned from using cell phones while on the job.
To think that adults need to be told this.
I sure hope it’s more effective than the bans on using cell phones while driving that I am constantly seeing violated.
Nanny state alert.
The guy was text messaging, not calling on a cell phone.
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