this just in . . .

July 14th, 2009
Safety board says possible sleep disorder may have contributed to Boston
train crash
Posted: 03:29 PM ET
By Mike M. Ahlers
CNN

WASHINGTON — A Boston trolley operator killed in a crash last year likely
had a sleep disorder and fell into a “micro-sleep” shortly before the
collision, the National Transportation Safety Board ruled Tuesday.

The safety board, completing a 14-month investigation, faulted operator Ter’
rese Edmonds for ignoring a red signal along the tracks, but directed harsh
criticism at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, operators of
the train system. The transit authority failed to screen operators for
sleep disorders while enforcing a work schedule that could prevent train
operators from getting enough sleep, the NTSB said.

The board also noted that the MBTA had not installed systems on its Green
Line to prevent two trains from occupying the same stretch of track, the
NTSB said.

The systems — known as “positive train control” systems — would have
prevented the accident, the safety board said.