Metro-North Engineer Who Fell Asleep, Killing 4, Wants the MTA to Pay Him $10M

William Rockefeller, the Metro-North train engineer who fell asleep behind the controls of an accelerating Hudson Line train three years ago, killing four people and injuring 60 more, is suing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) for $10 million, according to multiple news reports Thursday.

The derailment at 7:30 a.m. Dec. 1, 2013 killed four and injured nearly 60 people. The train was on its way to New York City from Poughkeepsie. The locomotive was on the north end pushing the cars southward. It took the curve at Spuyten Duyvil—marked for 30 mph— at 80 mph.

Killed in the train derailment were James Lovell, 58, of Cold Spring; James Ferrari, 59, of Montrose; Donna Smith, 54, of Newburgh; and Ahn Kisook, 35, of Queens.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined that Rockefeller had severe sleep apnea in 2014 and the MTA began testing for the often undiagnosed condition.

“Sleep apnea usually is a chronic (ongoing) condition that disrupts your sleep. When your breathing pauses or becomes shallow, you’ll often move out of deep sleep and into light sleep,” the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute states on its website. “As a result, the quality of your sleep is poor, which makes you tired during the day. Sleep apnea is a leading cause of excessive daytime sleepiness.”

According to the NTSB medical report, the sleep study revealed that Rockefeller had an apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) of 52.5 episodes per hour, and it climbed to as high as 67.5 episodes per hour.

The report stated that more than 30 events per hour is considered severe sleep apnea.

Rockefeller will now argue in court that the MTA — which runs Metro-North — should have built an automatic braking system into the train that would have slowed it down when it passed the speed limit, The Journal News reported.

The MTA put in new protections at the Spuyten Duyvil curve a week after the crash. The new signal warns train engineers of the area requiring slower speeds is approaching. It will also automatically apply the train's emergency brakes if speed is not lowered to the 30 mph maximum in the curve.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) investigation and report, “Operation Deep Dive,” was commissioned following the deadly derailment.

The agency’s report had “three overarching findings” regarding Metro-North’s operations:

• a “clear overemphasis on on-time performance to a detriment of safety”
• ineffective safety department and poor safety culture
• inadequate and ineffective training provided for workers

Now retired, Rockefeller is also receiving a federal pension, according to the Hudson Valley newspaper.

Patch has reached out to Rockefeller's attorney for more details on the lawsuit. Check back for updates.

SEE ALSO:

• Metro North to Test All Train Engineers for Sleep Apnea
  
• UPDATE: Victims of Deadly Train Wreck
  
• New Metro North Safety Measures on 'Critical Curves'
  
• Deep Dive Report 'Confirms Our Worst Fears' About Metro-North

Patch file photo

Patch Editor Simone Wilson contributed to this report.