Metro-North engineer in fatal derailment had sleep apnea, NTSB says

[QM1to6Ave]

I can't say I am at all surprised. I had a feeling he might have been suffering from sleep apnea without realizing it. It's unfortunate that sleep tests are so expensive, as I think they should be standard tests for all B/O's, T/O's, etc. Sleep apnea can really drain your concentration even when you think you are getting enough sleep. 

 

 

http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/07/us/metro-north-crash-ntsb-report/

 

(CNN) -- The engineer who was operating the Metro-North train that derailed last year, killing four passengers and injuring dozens more, was suffering from a sleep disorder, according to documents released Monday by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The NTSB's investigation discovered during a post-accident sleep evaluation that William Rockefeller Jr. had "severe obstructive sleep apnea."

In a Metro-North medical history form from 1999, Rockefeller specifically answered "no" to a question asking whether he had difficulty sleeping, and at no point before the accident did any of his health care providers document a discussion with him regarding sleep problems, according to the NTSB's medical factual report of the investigation.

However, after the derailment, a sleep study was ordered for Rockefeller because he "did not exactly recall events leading up to the accident," the report said.

The sleep specialist noted that Rockefeller's recent work schedule change from late night to early morning shifts "might have contributed to the accident," according to an additional statement in the specialist's report.

Sleep apnea is a disruptive sleep disorder in which a person's breathing repeatedly stops and starts. This can result in an individual feeling tired even after a full night's sleep.

 

Was the train engineer asleep at the controls?

 

Union: Engineer nodded off before crash

 

Train crash investigation focuses on engineer

 

How fast was the train moving when it derailed?

As a result, the sleep specialist prescribed Rockefeller continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) as treatment. Rockefeller reported feeling more energetic after 30 days of treatment.

"My client was fully cooperative with the NTSB investigation, including giving them access to his medical records and doctors," Rockefeller's attorney, Jeffrey Chartier, said Monday. "I believe these reports support that there was no criminality in regards to my client."

The accident happened on December 1 when the train of seven cars derailed while traveling from Poughkeepsie, New York, to Grand Central Terminal in New York City. The train was hurtling along at 82 mph, far above the speed limit of 30 mph for that section of track as it approached a sharp bend in the Bronx.

The cars tumbled off the track, killing four passengers and leaving dozens more hospitalized. The lead car came to rest inches from water at the intersection of the Hudson and Harlem rivers.

At the time of the accident, the train was in "push mode," meaning that the locomotive was in the rear of the train pushing it along the tracks, with Rockefeller in a cabin at the front operating it remotely. His cabin was equipped with a "dead man pedal" that required constant downward pressure with the foot to keep the train moving, MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan told CNN last year.

"Should you lose consciousness or die, and the foot is taken off, a whistle sounds and the train begins to slow immediately to a stop," Donovan said. "It's a pressure you have to keep -- your foot actively engaged."

But it is unclear whether the "dead man pedal" mechanism was activated when Rockefeller allegedly nodded off at the controls. "That is unknown," Donovan said.

"MTA Metro-North Railroad is reviewing the documents released today by the NTSB," Donovan said Monday. "The investigation is still ongoing, and Metro-North will continue to work with the NTSB on addressing their recommendations."

A safety review from the Federal Railroad Administration said Metro-North's focus on punctuality "had a detrimental effect on safety, adversely affecting the inspection and maintenance of track and negatively impacting train operations," according to the report released in March.

[traingoat]

That's why the good Lord invented strong coffee for..  Look over the years I have seen engineers and motormen bring thermos in the cab with coffee or whatever to keep them alert.  

 

All they did was make indictment for manslaughter harder and gave him a defense.  MTA is still going to pay.

[Missabassie]

As for the dead-man's pedal, he was used to applying the necessary pressure, so even if he'd nodded off , his body was already used to knowing what to do, which makes it that much more dangerous.

 

[Tokkemon]

Damn. Makes me wanna lose weight now...

[peacemak3r]

You know I always thought the NTSB was for air accident investigations only, heh, you learn something new everyday eh?

 

As traingoat implied, coffee is a strong thing.

[Truckie]

You know I always thought the NTSB was for air accident investigations only, heh, you learn something new everyday eh?

 

They investigate all forms of transportation accidents (rail, air, water, highway).  They also investigate pipeline and hazardous material accidents such as the natural gas explosion in Harlem last month.

[lirr42]

Keep in mind that the report the NTSB issued is called a "Medical Factual Report," and it just that, a report of the facts, without any analysis or interpretation.  I question the wisdom of them doing so considering it leaves the report open to [often incorrect] interpretation by journalists, railfans, etc., who do not have any background in medicine.

 

I briefly glanced through the report; nothing about the sleeping disorder really jumped off the page at me.  Now the hypothyroidism that the report said he was treating intermittently, that would be something I wouldn't mind finding out more information about...