The Metro North Train accident that killed 4 people and injured at least 61 on December 1st 2013 was caused by the engineer’s noncompliance with the 30-mph speed restriction because he had fallen asleep due to undiagnosed severe obstructive sleep apnea exacerbated by a recent circadian rhythm shift required by his work schedule.
According to a report released Today by the National Transportation Safety Board, the accident could have been avoided if Metro North and the Federal Railroad Administration had a policy requiring medical screening for sleep disorders and if the train was equipped with a system that would have automatically applied the brakes to enforce the speed restriction.
The NTSB also released Today the following Metro North train accident reports:
- A report on the March 10, 2014 train accident during which an electrician was fatally struck by a train in Manhattan, New York
- A report on the July 18,2013 accident during which a train transporting municipal refuse derailed in the Bronx, New York
- A report on the May 28, 2013 accident during which a track foreman was struck and killed by a train in West Haven, Connecticut
- A report on the May 17, 2013 accident during which two trains collided, injuring at least 65 passengers in Bridgeport, Connecticut
Picture: National Transportation Safety Board