Metrolink: Death, Drinking and Cover-Up?
The Metrolink train crash in Chatsworth back in September was one of the worst rail disasters in US history and yet it's only one of scores of accidents the Southern California transit agency has experienced.
On the heels of a report that 64% of the rail deaths in the US in the last six years involved Metrolink trains, we here at the Sister City have received an explosive charge from an anonymous source.
Our source claims that a key Metrolink staff member allegedly "was known to be having a drinking problem" and was allegedly relieved of duty two days after the Chatsworth crash because the individual "kept showing up to staff meetings incoherent."
The source further alleges that staff and management at Metrolink Operations Center in Pomona were apparently aware of this individual's alcohol problem however an agency "code of silence" was behind the alleged cover-up.
Our source says a local media outlet will break this story later this week. We must emphasize that this story comes from an anonymous source and has not been verified however we feel it is important to at least discuss it in light of a significant number of poor leadership and management decisions that many feel are behind the agency's abysmal safety record.
Stay tuned.
On the heels of a report that 64% of the rail deaths in the US in the last six years involved Metrolink trains, we here at the Sister City have received an explosive charge from an anonymous source.
Our source claims that a key Metrolink staff member allegedly "was known to be having a drinking problem" and was allegedly relieved of duty two days after the Chatsworth crash because the individual "kept showing up to staff meetings incoherent."
The source further alleges that staff and management at Metrolink Operations Center in Pomona were apparently aware of this individual's alcohol problem however an agency "code of silence" was behind the alleged cover-up.
Our source says a local media outlet will break this story later this week. We must emphasize that this story comes from an anonymous source and has not been verified however we feel it is important to at least discuss it in light of a significant number of poor leadership and management decisions that many feel are behind the agency's abysmal safety record.
Stay tuned.
Labels: metrolink train crash
Posted by Michael Higby @ 12/21/2008 12:00:00 AM
7 Comments:
you are fucked if this is wrong! your target is identifiable. it is libel, per se. better hope somebody publishes -- somebody reliable.
Another sad chapter in an increasingly sad story. Those poor passengers on that train. Their families must be devastated.
First, your source is anonymous, so we have to hold up on whatever that brings.
Next, your story still doesn't connect anyone's drinking and erratic behavior to any job-responsibility of a level that would create a crash-outcome or risk of such.
It's a saftey risk, of course, when drinking is done to the extent that judgment is affected, but what real connection is there to any specific item here?
We'll have to wait. and 9:11am, what's the harm to anything at this point, anyway?
in l.a.
Whatever happened to the Northeast Hillside Ordinance?????
The old 90032 voice and Red Spot were making a big deal about it, what is the latest on that
I'll leave an anonymous comment just like your so-called "anonymous" source. Interesting how you state in the first half of a sentence in your post "We must emphasize that this story comes from an anonymous source and has not been verified.." and then follow in the same sentence with "...however we feel it is important to at least discuss it..." So which is it? An unverified accusation from an anonymous source that deserves no discussion until it has some semblance of credibility or do you give it credibility just because your omnipotence gives you the power to do so and publish it in yout blog? Forget the fact that nothing you say really relates to anything that has happened at Metrolink either before or after September 12, 2008. While you have anointed your collections of posting as the "Home of Los Angeles Politics", it clearly is not a place where any quality journalism has a place to live. Leave the muckraking to the professionals and stick to dumpster diving behing City Hall for "news".
Following that crash, I would not be surprised if police, firemen and metrolink workers turned to alcohol in one degree or another.
The questions are two: were they on duty, and were they in a safety position? If an accountant or clerk for the railroad was under the influence not as much a problem for me as someone operating a train, driving a fire truck or wearing a police uniform. You really need to know more before offering an opinion.
8:44 sounds like a fired Mayor Sam blogger.
It sounds to me as this has not been officially confirmed. Considering that it has been brought forward it is worth discussing until we get to the bottom of it.
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