U.S. Sen. Diane Feinstein and California Sen. Barbara Boxer hope to push new legislation through Congress that would prevent crashes between freight trains and passenger trains. Congress recesses at the end of next week.
The legislation comes on the heels of the Sept. 12 collision between a communter train and a freight train near Los Angeles. Twenty-five people were killed in what is being called the most deadly train crash in modern California history.
The legislation would require railroad companies to install technology that would automatically apply a train’s brakes if the operator fails to stop at a signal or goes off-track.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the three signals that should have warned the engineer of the Metrolink commuter train on Friday that it was approaching a freight train appear to have been working and visible. The engineer ran a red signal and crossed a switching mechanism at 42 miles per hour, bending the switch.
The NTSB has subpoenaed phone records from Verizon Wireless to determine whether the engineer was sending text messages while operating the train. A Metrolink spokeswoman resigned Monday after publicly stating that the crash was caused by the engineer.
If you or someone you know was injured in the Los Angeles train derailment, call or write an experienced personal injury attorney at The Gomez Law Firm today.
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