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NTSB: Eyesight a factor in fatal Oklahoma collision
Isn’t this why there are two crew members in the cab, calling out signal? Where was the conductor on this?
Unfortunately, a number of “physical exams/evaluations” are not as thorough as one would believe. At the medical establishment I go to for my every 2-year evaluation for a Class A license, the eye exam is merely a card or device held over one eye at a time, and then you recite the smallest printed line you can read on the chart. This is NOT to say that the medical facility where this engineer went to for his physical evaluations was negligent. If the employee was complaining about “vision problems,” and if there was documentation about said problems for a 3-year period, then the Crew Assignment Desk should have removed him from duty until he was medically cleared.
What happened to all the other comments that were made?
I do believe one of the conductors was busy exiting the cab of the locomotive.
The AP story and Trains excerpt misrepresent the NTSB report, which listed the engineer’s sight as one factor among several, including conductor inattention. The train actually went through 3 successive restricting signals without reducing speed. Also, there may be some CYA at work with the NTSB blaming UP over the engineer’s eyesight, since he apparently passed his federal medical checks. The report recommends improving those exams.