Home
»
Trains Magazine
»
Forums
»
General Discussion
»
Head-on collision on UP's Golden State Route

Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
[quote user="jeaton"] <blockquote> <div><img src="/TRCCS/Themes/trc/images/icon-quote.gif" /> Bucyrus:</div> <div></div> I would not assume that the engineer and conductor of the eastbound were asleep.  However, I must point out that the NTSB possitively tells us that the crew of that BNSF coal train that ran into the hind end of another train in Iowa last year were asleep.  And yet, they have absolutely no way of knowing that to be factual.   I expect opinions on the forum even if they are stated as fact.  But I would not have expected it from the NTSB.  <div style="clear:both;"></div>   </blockquote> II really don't know why you are so offended by the NTSB assesment of that situation.  The thing that is known for certain is that the crew did not properly respond to the signals or any other conditions calling for the train to stop.  There certainly are other things that could cause the crew to be unresponsive-anything from drug or alcohol use, a disabling illness,or even being victims of foul play.  However, much of that can be found or excluded by an autopsy.  Absent any signs that the crew was just goofing off- open cell phone, iPad with a game paused or a good novel, looking at the scenery-all that is left either sleep or possibly what I call "spaced out", a condition of being awake but not cognizant of important stimuli.  Assuming fatalities, the last two can't be found directly, but the elimination of other possible conditions produces a logical conclusion. <div style="clear:both;"></div> [/quote] Oh I am not offended by the NTSB’s assumption.  It is just that you don’t expect assumptions stated as fact in what purports to be an objective investigation.  If you don’t know something for sure, and there are several possible explanations, that is what you report.  If one of the explanations stands out as the most likely, that is what you report.  But the NTSBs assertion of a very important factor as a fact when it is only an assumption indicates to me that they are more interested in pushing an agenda than being an objective finder of fact.  In this case, the agenda was advancing new regulations on testing for sleep disorders.
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag