The MTA has learned that the system designed to alert engineers after 25 seconds of inactivity was at the wrong end of the Metro-North train that derailed in the Bronx on Sunday, killing four and injuring 67 others.
If the engineer is inactive for 25 seconds, the system issues a warning, and can automatically trigger the brakes if the engineer fails to respond to a prompt that comes after 15 seconds. The system could have prevented William Rockefeller from nodding off before the train took a 30 mile per hour curve at 82 miles per hour.
According to the New York Daily News, Rockefeller was operating the train from the lead car—seven cars away from the alerter. This new comes after NYPD officer Eddie Russell, one of the many injured, filed a $10 million lawsuit against the MTA for negligence. However, Russell's lawsuit places the blame on the agency for failing to fix the tracks, not Rockefeller.
A spokesperson for the Metro-North railroad told the Daily News that Rockefeller has been suspended without pay.
[via New York Daily News]
