NEW YORK – Hours after crews cleared derailed cars from the scene of Sunday’s fatal Metro-North Railroad crash in the Bronx, investigators Tuesday turned a closer eye toward the engineer’s possible inattention before the derailment.
A law enforcement official briefed on an account provided by the engineer, William Rockefeller, said that Rockefeller did not appear to have been fully focused shortly before his train barreled into a sharp curve at 82 mph – nearly three times the speed allowed through the curve, just north of the Spuyten Duyvil station.
Four people were killed and more than 70 were injured in the crash Sunday morning.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because various investigations were still continuing, added that immediately after the derailment, investigators asked Rockefeller if he had been drinking, and he said that he had not. The official said that the investigators who spoke to him reported that he did not appear to be drunk or on drugs.
The official said that a preliminary examination of his phone by detectives from the New York City and Metropolitan Transportation Authority police did not seem to indicate that he had been texting or on a call.
Another source familiar with Rockefeller’s account said that the engineer described being “almost hypnotized” or in a temporary trance.
“That place where you’re not asleep and you’re not 100 percent awake,” he said.
Officials have said that Rockefeller performed an emergency braking maneuver when he realized the train was heading into the curve too quickly.
Earl Weener, a board member with the National Transportation Safety Board, said at a news conference Monday that investigators were “not aware of any problems or anomalies with the brakes.”
Asked about Rockefeller’s possible culpability in a radio interview with WNYC on Tuesday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said, “The operator has rights, but there’s all sorts of liability questions.”
Cuomo said Monday that he expected to see Metro-North service restored toward the end of the week, although officials said there was no definitive timetable for full service.
The transportation authority said that all rail cars had been cleared from the tracks Monday night.
Marjorie Anders, a spokeswoman for the agency, said that crews worked through the night to clear debris, remove ballast - the stone between ties - and begin laying new ties.
