(The Associated Press circulated the following on March 3, 2009.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Federal safety investigators are expected to unveil more details Tuesday about text messages from the operator of a commuter train involved in a deadly collision last September in California.
The accident killed 25 people and injured about 135.
Federal investigators said the engineer, Robert Sanchez, sent a text message 22 seconds before the commuter train slammed head-on into a Union Pacific freight train. They plan to release transcripts of his text messages along with dozens of documents from their investigation.
Sanchez was responsible for the operation of Metrolink train 111. Cell phone records indicated he got seven text messages and sent five text messages during the 80 minutes prior to the collision.