NTSB(NEW YORK) — The National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday that the December 2013 Metro-North train derailment that killed four and injured 61 occurred when the train engineer had fallen asleep.
The train rounded a curve at 82 mph, well above the 30-mph speed restriction. The NTSB report determined that the operator had “an undiagnosed severe obstructive sleep apnea exacerbated by a recent circadian rhythm shift required by his work schedule.” In other words, his apnea condition was made worse when his regular shift was moved from one that started in the late afternoon and ended in the early morning to another that began between 4 and 5 a.m. and continued until the afternoon.
The NTSB pointed the blame at the Metro-North Railroad for the absence of medical screening for sleep disorders.
NTSB has faulted Metro-North in five separate accidents in a single year, openly questioning the nation’s largest commuter rail service’s commitment to safety.
The NTSB report also noted that the absence of a positive train control system, which would have automatically applied the brakes when the operator failed to place pressure on it, contributed to the accident. The agency noted further that “the loss of window glazing” caused the ejection of four passengers, contributing to their deaths and the severity of the accident.
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