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Re: Metrolink Safety Panel report [link]
Author: John Bruce
Date: 01-09-2009 - 08:43
This is going to take a while to download and read, though summaries have appeared in the press over the past several weeks. One thing that interests me is that a few days ago a law firm representing Chatsworth victims went public with a claim that Connex/Veolia supervisors had repeatedly been warned that Sanchez was texting on duty. [www.sanfernandosun.com]
The San Fernando Valley Sun article says in part, "Edward Pfiester, attorney for the law firm of Hildebrand, McLeod & Nelson, who is representing them, along with 15 other victims, both alive and deceased, said that he spoke with a co-worker of engineer Robert Sanchez who told him he had warned supervisors prior to the crash about Sanchez texting and cell phone use during work hours.
"'This is conduct that is considered conscious disregard for the safety of passengers in the train," said Pfiester."
It goes on, "Pfiester added that a few months prior to the crash, an inspector for Veolia Transportation, the company Sanchez worked for, 'busted Sanchez' when they found a cell phone in his bag, which is against company rules." (Other news accounts say that the "bust" included finding the cell phone turned on -- I think it's OK if it's off.
Now, I'm not, nor ever have been, a working rail. But my sense of human nature as a working writer is that this rings true. I've posted before that if Sanchez habitually texted while on duty, this would have been visible even through the cab window of an F59, and it was very, very hard for me to believe it didn't attract notice. OPRRMS has pooh-poohed this all along, among other things challenging me to find an attorney who will sue Veolia, Metrolink, and others for "failure to supervise".
OPRRMS, seems like this has happened. And I really wonder what your role in all this has been.
The San Fernando Valley Sun article says in part, "Edward Pfiester, attorney for the law firm of Hildebrand, McLeod & Nelson, who is representing them, along with 15 other victims, both alive and deceased, said that he spoke with a co-worker of engineer Robert Sanchez who told him he had warned supervisors prior to the crash about Sanchez texting and cell phone use during work hours.
"'This is conduct that is considered conscious disregard for the safety of passengers in the train," said Pfiester."
It goes on, "Pfiester added that a few months prior to the crash, an inspector for Veolia Transportation, the company Sanchez worked for, 'busted Sanchez' when they found a cell phone in his bag, which is against company rules." (Other news accounts say that the "bust" included finding the cell phone turned on -- I think it's OK if it's off.
Now, I'm not, nor ever have been, a working rail. But my sense of human nature as a working writer is that this rings true. I've posted before that if Sanchez habitually texted while on duty, this would have been visible even through the cab window of an F59, and it was very, very hard for me to believe it didn't attract notice. OPRRMS has pooh-poohed this all along, among other things challenging me to find an attorney who will sue Veolia, Metrolink, and others for "failure to supervise".
OPRRMS, seems like this has happened. And I really wonder what your role in all this has been.
