Train Driver Had Undiagnosed Sleep Disorder At Time Of Dec. 1 Bronx Accident That Killed 4
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the driver of a December derailed train in New York City that killed four passengers suffered from an undiagnosed sleep disorder when the accident occurred.
William Rockefeller, who was the engineer of the Metro-North commuter train that derailed in the Bronx Dec. 1, was suffering from the effects of sleep apnea, which causes drowsiness.
The NTSB documents include Rockefeller’s interview with the investigators about the crash, which he detailed as being in an “hypnotic” state before He realized the training was derailing. Rockefeller said he was dazed, mesmerized and was looking straight ahead. It’s similar to driving for long periods of time and focusing on the taillights of the vehicles ahead of you.
Rockefeller’s diagnosis came from a doctor who specializes in this disorder and other kinds of sleep disorders. At the request of the board, the doctor took a look at Rockefeller in December.
The unidentified doctor said, in a report to the board, being a shift worker may have led to the accident.
The U.S. National Institutes of Health characterizes the disorder by intermittent or shallow breathing during sleep.
The diagnosis was also confirmed by the Rockefeller’s attorney Jeffrey Chartier. He said Rockefeller has complied fully with investigators and given them permission to go through his medical records.
He said the condition may have worsened due to the early-morning shift assignment, which took two weeks before the crash. The report also notes this switch.
According to the medical report, Rockefeller had minute amounts of a sedative antihistamine in his system when the accident occurred.
Rockefeller had his physical exam for the company in May 2011 with the last visit to his primary doctor being in May 2013.
Before the Dec. 1 accident, Rockefeller was diagnosed as being obese and suffering from high cholesterol, hypothyroidism, vitamin D and B12 deficiencies, low testosterone and a mild case of high-frequency hearing loss.
Until the accident, the report said he was never screened for sleep apnea.
According to investigators, the seven-car train was speeding three times faster than the posted speed limit for the curve, which is near Bronx’s Spuyten Duyvil station. Along with the four dead, 70 people had been injured.
The report spells, in detail, with Rockefeller did that Sunday morning, with his day starting at 3:30 a.m. It said he went through his usual routine safety briefing and looked the train over (safety checks) before both he and the conductor began the day. Rockefeller said the train was operating like it should and everything was fine until after the Tarrytown station.
Rockefeller said he can’t recall ever coming to the curve, which has speed limit of 30 miles per hour.
He said he was shaken awake by the train’s feeling. He said he felt something wasn’t right, which caused him to put into emergency.
The safety board is still investigating the crash and has yet to realize its final inquiry.
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