Wreckage from the recent Metro-North crash may soon be out of sight, but for those involved, it will most likely never be out of mind. For the many victims, including the engineer who is now the main focus of the investigations, the incident will be especially hard not to think about on a daily basis. The New York train crash could lead to the engineer possibly being charged with a criminal offense.
Although reports indicated that the engineer of the train was not under the influence of alcohol or any other drugs, he claims to have been in a daze prior to the derailment. He claims that he got enough sleep, and that he checked the train’s brakes prior to starting the route on the day of the accident. Reports said that he claimed that he did not know why the train was going so fast in the first place.
The commuters that boarded the train that morning were unaware that the train would get up to a speed of over 80 miles per hour as it came up on a 30-mile-per-hour curve. Even though the engineer alleges that he hit the brakes, it was too late and the brakes failed to keep the train from derailing. As the wreckage was cleared, it was determined that — of the passengers aboard the train that morning — 75 were injured and four unfortunately lost their lives.
Federal investigations may lead to the charging of a criminal offense for the engineer who is native to New York. Even with the federal investigation being conducted, however, injured victims of the crash are starting to file claims against him as well as the Metro-North company. It is important for the man to remember that, even though the prosecution may try to say he needs to be held responsible if he is charged, everyone is innocent until proved guilty. Therefore, it will be wise for the man to understand all of his rights going forward.
Source: NY Daily News, Metro-North engineer ‘basically nodded’ just before fatal train derailment: Union official, Pete Donohue , Rocco Parascandola and Corky Siemaszko, Dec. 3, 2013
