Feds: Engineer's sleepiness caused derailment
Source: AP-Excite
By JIM FITZGERALD
NEW YORK (AP) — A sleep-deprived engineer nodded off at the controls of a commuter train just before taking a 30 mph curve at 82 mph, causing a derailment last year that killed four people and injured more than 70, federal regulators said Tuesday.
William Rockefeller's sleepiness was due to a combination of an undiagnosed disorder — sleep apnea — and a drastic shift in his work schedule, the National Transportation Safety Board said. It said the railroad lacked a policy to screen engineers for sleep disorders, which also contributed to the Dec. 1 crash. And it said a system that would have applied the brakes automatically would have prevented the crash.
The board also issued rulings on four other Metro-North accidents that occurred in New York and Connecticut in 2013 and 2014, repeatedly finding fault with the railroad while also noting that conditions have improved.
"We truly take to heart all the issues that have been stated," Metro-North President Joseph Giulietti said. As an example, he said the railroad already has begun a test project on engineer sleep apnea that will be expanded.
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Christopher Hart, acting chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, left, listens while Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks during a news conference in New York, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014. A sleep-deprived engineer nodded off at the controls of a commuter train just before taking a 30 mph curve at 82 mph, causing a derailment last year that killed four people and injured more than 70, federal regulators said Tuesday. William Rockefeller's sleepiness was due to a combination of an undiagnosed disorder, sleep apnea and a drastic shift in his work schedule, the National Transportation Board said. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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