From http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/218974.aspx?sort=ASC&pi332=17
My dad is an auditor, and had a couple good comments. I will relay them.
First, the engineer is just another scapegoat. The railroad needs to get to the “root cause” of the accident. The train derailed. Why? The brakes weren’t set. Why? The engineer did not properly set the brakes. Why? Was he improperly trained or not familiar with the equipment?
If he was improperly trained (this includes simply forgetting to set the brakes), then the railroad is responsible because they need a better training plan, or they need to make sure that the train crews are properly trained.
If he was not familiar with the equipment, then the railroad should have trained him on the equipment. Hand brakes are fairly basic in terms of training, so why wasn’t he adequately trained.
Secondly, this seems to be the tip of the iceberg. Mr. Burkhardt (the president of MM&A) was way to fast in assigning blame. In my dad’s experience, it suggests that Mr. Burkhardt has something to cover up, and that the problems go much deeper than they appear.
Third, Mr. Burkhardt should have gone to the scene of the accident as soon as it happened. Instead, he waited in Chicago to see how it would turn out. Basic PR says that he should be on the scene as soon as possible, giving his condolences and saying that he will get to the bottom of it.
Fourth, Mr. Burkhardt