New York: The engineer driving the speeding commuter train that derailed in New York City last weekend, killing four people has been suspended without pay, a railroad spokesman said on Thursday.
William Rockefeller is “out of service, and not being paid,” the spokesman for Metro-North Railroad said.
According to his lawyer and union representative, Rockefeller experienced a momentary loss of awareness as he zoomed down the tracks.
They called the episode a “nod,” a “daze” or highway hypnosis.
Their accounts raised questions about just how widespread the problem is in the transportation industry and what can be done to combat it.
At the time of the crash, the train was going 82 mph (132 kph into a sharp turn where the speed limit drops to 30 mph (48 kph).
That's when the engineer says he snapped out of it and hit the brakes, but it was too late.
