Engineer Robert Sanchez Faulted Texting 2008 Chatsworth Metrolink Train Crash

Engineer Robert Sanchez Faulted Texting 2008 Chatsworth Metrolink Train Crash --- ===

Another case of distracted LGBT train driver, like the Amtrak crash  7 killed 200 injured May 12, 2015,2015 Philadelphia train derailment Amtrak train bound derailed and crashed taking curve too fast in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania while traveling over 100 miles per hour.  The final conclusion blamed engineer Brandon Bostian  heard about the rock-throwing on the radio and was so preoccupied by it that he lost track of where he was and [manually and deliberately] accelerated full-throttle to 106 mph as he went into a sharp curve with a 50 mph speed limit,


2008 Chatsworth train collision - Wikipedia, the free ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Sanchez
The Chatsworth train collision occurred at 4:22 p.m. PDT (23:22 UTC) on Friday, September 12, 2008, when a Union Pacific freight train and a Metrolink commuter train collided head-on in the Chatsworth district of Los Angeles, California. The scene of the accident was a curved section of single track on the Metrolink Ventura County Line just east of Stoney Point.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which investigated the cause of the collision, the Metrolink train ran through a red signal before entering a section of single track where the opposing freight train had been given the right of way by the train dispatcher. The NTSB faulted the Metrolink train's engineer for the collision, concluding that he was distracted by text messages he was sending while on duty.

This mass casualty event brought a massive emergency response by both the city and county of Los Angeles, but the nature and extent of physical trauma taxed the available resources. Response included CEMP (California Emergency Mobile Patrol Search and Rescue) as a first responding unit requested by LAPD. With 25 deaths, this became the deadliest accident in Metrolink's history. Many survivors remained hospitalized for an extended period. Lawyers quickly began filing claims against Metrolink, and in total, they are expected to exceed a US$200 million liability limit set in 1997, portending the first legal challenges to that law. Issues surrounding this accident have also initiated and reinvigorated public debate on a range of topics including public relations, safety, and emergency management, which has also resulted in regulatory and legislative actions, including the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008.

Robert Martin Sanchez - Chatsworth Metrolink Crash - Los ...
projects.latimes.com/metrolink-crash/name/robert-m-sanchez
Robert Sanchez: Metrolink 111 engineer led solitary life marred by tragedy ...

Engineer of Metrolink Train Had Troubled Past |Advocate.com
www.advocate.com/.../09/18/engineer-metrolink-train-had-troubled-past
Sep 18, 2008 · Robert M. Sanchez, who had been ... Engineer of Metrolink Train Had Troubled Past. ... Robert M. Sanchez, who had been working for Metrolink since …

Following the

suicide Sanchez ran into a little trouble with the law --

he served 90 days in jail in connection with an

attempted-shoplifting incident at Costco 

The engineer was among those who died

in the crash.

The Times reports that Sanchez moved to Southern California in 2000 with his life partner, Daniel Charles Burton. Three years later, on February 14, Burton hanged himself in the garage of the couple’s home, leaving the following note: “Rob, Happy Valentine’s Day. I love you. Please take care of yourself and Ignatia [the couple’s dog]. I love you both very much. Daniel.” A coroner later reported that Burton  as HIV-positive, and Sanchez said that just before the suicide he and Burton had discussed breaking up.

Articles about Metrolink Engineer - latimes
articles.latimes.com/keyword/metrolink-engineer
Feb 28, 2009 · Those who knew Robert M. Sanchez say he was a relentlessly upbeat man with a passion for trains and Italian greyhounds. At the same time, the Metrolink ...

Engineer sent text 22 seconds before fatal train crash - CNN
www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/01/train.crash.probe
Oct 01, 2008 · Engineer sent text 22 seconds before fatal train crash. ... engineer Robert Sanchez ... times recorded for use of the Metrolink engineer's ...

Federal hearing: Metrolink engineer warned twice about ...
latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/03/the-signal-syst.html
Mar 03, 2009 · Supervisors twice warned Metrolink engineer Robert M. Sanchez about improper use of cellphones while in ... Did Metrolink crash engineer allow teens to ...

In a profile about Metrolink engineer Robert Sanchez - latimes
articles.latimes.com/2008/sep/17/local/me-engineer17
Sep 17, 2008 · Those who knew Robert M. Sanchez say he was a relentlessly upbeat man with a passion ... the Metrolink engineer led a solitary life in recent years and ...

Metrolink engineer let unauthorized 'rail enthusiasts ...
www.latimes.com/news/la-me-metrolink-hearing4-2009mar04-story.html
The Metrolink engineer involved in a deadly rail disaster in Chatsworth last fall ... "This rogue behavior was uncharacteristic of the Robert Sanchez known to ...

- Recent Comments - Chatsworth Metrolink Crash - L.A. Times
projects.latimes.com/metrolink-crash/feeds/fatality/robert-m-sanchez
... "Metrolink engineer Robert Sanchez was twice warned by supervisors about improper use of cell phones while in train control cabins. On the day of the crash, ...

Metrolink conductor raised concerns about engineer's ...
www.latimes.com/local/la-me-train-crash-conductor6-2009feb06-story...
Metrolink conductor raised concerns about engineer's ... Safety Board that he sawengineer Robert M. Sanchez using a cellphone ... and Metrolink have declined ...
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/gays-cause-train-crashes/

Gays Cause Train Crashes

By Kyle Mantyla | September 14, 2009 11:15 am

Last year, a Metrolink commuter train collided with a Union Pacific Corp. freight train in Los Angeles, causing several fatalities.

Over the weekend, William J. Murray, chairman of the Religious Freedom Coalition, had a column in WorldNetDaily complaining that there has been no coverage of the fact that the crash was due to the fact, literally, that the engineer gay:

The engineer, Robert M. Sanchez, 46, was a homosexual, and he was sending a text message to a teenage boy when he blew through a red light, crashing head-on into an oncoming freight train. Because being “gay” is a media cause in America, and particularly in California, virtually no gay crime is reported. Domestic violence involving gays is rarely if ever reported in California newspapers despite the fact that it represents a disproportionate number of police calls. Simply put, the minute the individual who caused the train crash was identified as being homosexual, reporting on the disaster came to a virtual stop.

On Sept. 21, 2008, the New York Times did publish a 40-paragraph, sympathetic story about the killer engineer, Robert Sanchez, which centered on his diabetes and the suicide of his “partner” in 2003. The dead and injured passengers were not mentioned. In paragraph one of the story, titled “Several Portraits Emerge of Engineer in Crash,” it is mentioned that he was sending a text message to a teenage boy at the time of the accident, saying, “He encouraged teenagers who showed their own enthusiasm for the rails. …” Later, in paragraph five, the Times article mentions that he suffered “grief” over the death of his partner in 2003, the first indication that he was gay. Near the end of the article, in paragraph 39, an individual is quoted as saying, “If he was texting those teenagers, he’d have to have loved his job and wanted to share it with people.”

There are lots of older men and women who are “rail” enthusiasts. In fact, there are numerous magazines published for railroad and model railroad buffs. At age 63, I continue to build a model train layout that is slowly taking over the basement of my home. The average subscriber to Model Railroader magazine is by no means a teenager.

Yet in none of the articles is it mentioned that Sanchez sent text messages to mature rail enthusiasts, or that he belonged to any model rail clubs. It seems his only interest was in “sharing the rails” with teenage boys. Let’s get real: Bob Sanchez was using his position as a railroad engineer to pick up teenage boys who had an interest in railroads. In his excitement in communicating with a teenage boy by text message he took his eyes off the rails in front of him and killed himself and 24 others while leaving dozens with permanent injuries, some crippled for life.

Murray seemingly has absolutely nothing on which to base his allegation that “Sanchez was using his position as a railroad engineer to pick up teenage boys” … other than the “known fact” among Religuious Right groups that all gays are pedophiles.

And that was apparently good enough for WND.