National Transportation Safety Board Findings Trickling In

September 17, 2008 (by Otto Smyth)

Chatsworth train accident lawyers said today that reports from
the National Transportation Safety Board show the audio recordings
between the Metrolink engineer and the conductor proved they were
in communication regularly as a way of verbal safety checks when
nearing signals right before the September 12. 2008
Chatsworth Metrolink accident. There were two signals before
the crash when there was radio silence, there is a possibility that
there was a dead zone for radio communication in this area.

The NTSB investigators attempted to interview the conductor who
is still hospitalized without results. The conductor refused the
interview stating he wanted a representative of the railroad
present when he answered any questions.

According to their spokes person Kitty Higgins they have tapes
of the Metrolink train 111 engineer Sanchez confirming a flashing
yellow light in the vicinity of the Chatsworth station. They have
also tested the signals Monday and found they were all in proper
working order and a computer confirmed the last signals prior to
the crash was a red light.

Higgins also said that they were planning to make a test run
with a Union Pacific freight train and a
Metrolink train and recreate prior to the collision as another
way of testing the signals. The trains will also back away from the
point of the collision in order to establish when the engineers
were beyond where they had visual contact.