Investigators: Driver was on phone at time of Spain train crash, going at 95 mph.

[The Straight Story]

The Associated Press ‏@AP 1m

BREAKING: Investigators: Driver was on phone at time of Spain train crash, going at 95 mph.

Link to follow


http://bigstory.ap.org/article/investigators-driver-was-phone-time-spain-train-crash-going-95-mph

[Common Sense Party]

1. He had said he was trying to apply the brakes but couldn't.

Was he telling his superiors about the brake problem, or was he chatting with his novia at the time of the crash?

[The Straight Story]

2. Guessing it is the latter

cell phones are proving to be quite deadly....

[The Straight Story]

4. Actually, I stand corrected:

Train crash driver was on phone to rail company

The train that crashed in Spain killing at least 79 people was travelling at 153kph when it derailed, a Spanish court has said. It was also revealed that driver Jose Garzon Amo was on his work phone at the time.

Black box recordings revealed that the train was travelling at 192kph (119mph) when the brake was applied; the train derailed at 153kph. The speed limit at the spot where the train derailed was set at 80 kilometres an hour.

"Seconds before the accident the brakes were activated. It is estimated that at the time of the derailment the train was travelling at 153 kilometres an hour," the High Court of Galicia which is leading the investigation said.

The driver of the train was speaking on his work phone at the time of the accident and appeared to consult a map or other document, the court added in a statement.

"Minutes before the train came off the tracks he received a call on his work phone to get indications on the route he had to take to get to Ferrol.

From the content of the conversation and background noise it seems that the driver consulted a map or paper document," it said.

http://www.thelocal.es/20130730/train-crash-driver-was-speaking-on-phone

[TeeYiYi]

5. Sounds like he was lost and/or confused about his whereabouts...

That can't be good.

TYY

[kestrel91316]

3. Sounds like the Metrolink conductor a few years ago who caused the head-on train wreck in Chatsworth

Yakking on the damned cell phone to a young friend and ignored a red signal.

[flamingdem]

7. I thought they were texting?

But I remember the phone was the issue. That was a terrible accident and from what I've read the victims didn't get enough compensation.

[kestrel91316]

8. Texting, yakking, not much difference. They are equally inappropriate.

[IDemo]

6. In an age where self-driving automobiles are getting nearer to reality

There doesn't appear to be any excuse for high speed trains to be anything but completely automated. The conductor shouldn't be able to simply roll on the throttle to his heart's content. Acceleration and braking should be a function of location on the track and distance from the next station, not of a driver who seems to have a bit of the Contra Costa captain's recklessness.