Digging for clues
Hoboken focus on train crew & black box
Crew members on the NJ Transit commuter train that failed to brake and crashed into Hoboken Terminal were interviewed by federal investigators on Friday, as data was being downloaded from a black box recovered from the wreckage.
The National Transportation Safety Board has scheduled an interview with the train’s engineer, Thomas Gallagher, a 48-year-old father who has worked at NJ Transit for 29 years, officials said.
Investigators will also interview the conductor and the brakeman from the train that crashed at the height of Thursday’s morning rush hour, killing a young mother standing on the platform and injuring more than 100 other people.
“Crew members have been very cooperative, and we appreciate that,” said Bella DinhZarr, the NTSB’s vice chairwoman.
Gallagher’s blood and urine was tested for alcohol and drugs, but it could take weeks before the results of those exams are ready, she said.
The veteran engineer suffered minor injuries in the crash.
Federal investigators are still searching for answers as to why Train No. 1614 didn’t come to a stop at Hoboken’s historic station and instead plowed into the end of the Track 5 platform at a high rate of speed.
One of the commuter train’s event recorders, which should offer important insight into the crash, has been recovered, but investigators are struggling to extract the second one from the first car, officials said Friday.
“The train is too mangled,” said Terry Williams, spokesman for the NTSB.
The black boxes should have key information about what was happening when the train cruised through the station, including how fast it was going and which controls were used. They also have forwardfacing cameras.
The recorder that was successfully recovered was sent to its manufacturer Friday so its information could be downloaded, said Dinh-Zarr, the NTSB vice chair.
Investigators are also gathering records on the train’s crew members and analyzing security video from the Hoboken station.