Horrible metro train crash in L.A.

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 9:16pm

Okay, this is probably not the thread you were thinking it would be.

I'm PISSED.

Once again at the media.

We had a terrible train wreck on Friday's end-of-day commute. It resulted in many deaths and injuries.

Yet, the media is focusing almost solely on the victims, the victims' families, and the memorials that have already begun.

They're the NEWS, damn it, not YouTube.

I feel terrible for the victims of this tragedy, but the news should be focusing on WHY IT HAPPENED. If they had a conscience at all, they would be doing stories on the negligence of metro traffic controllers. The history of "accidents" on the rail. The problems convincing people to even take the rail in L.A., and how and what can be done to prevent this from ever happening again.

NO! They're showing flowers, sobbing relatives and candles being lit. That's pretty much it.

It's GriefTube. You're the star. This is all about you. This is not about a bigger "newsworthy" issue of safety on the trains. This is about you and your candle.

It makes me sick. The news is purely there to serve our vanity as a community. They're not trying to help by showing us any information.

They're once again just milking it for the ratings... for the "look at me, I'm tragic" factor. This isn't the "human story." The human story would be much bigger than this.

This is a bunch of news producers sitting around thinking "how can we get the most people to tune in to this... I KNOW... we'll show them THEMSELVES! Nothing sells better than seeing yourself cry on TV. Let's do THAT!"

I hate the news.

[D2]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 9:21pm

If it's any consolation, Besty, the news I've seen and heard here in New York has been focusing on the cause of the accident - apparently the engineer was TEXTING! Is that true?

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 9:28pm

I wouldn't know, D2. I've watched 17 hours of crying people... either at hospitals or with candles.

I'm not taking any comfort in the media outside of L.A. showing the bigger picture.

It's only because they're outside of L.A. and the YouTube factor wouldn't sell there. No big ratings for people in NYC or Florida watching Southern Californians grab a Kleenex.

So... they'll just do the story that WE should have done locally. Why not? Nothing to lose or gain. They can just report the news.

I'll probably have to go to a national or east coast Web site to get the story we should be getting here... WHERE IT HAPPENED.

Updated On: 9/14/08 at 09:28 PM

[Jane2]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 9:34pm

I've been hearing stories about it all weekend long, and only in ONE of them, at the very end, like an afterthought, was this sentence- "The cause of the accident is thought to be human error. The engineer of the train supposedly went through a red signal because he was texting, but he was killed in the accident."

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 9:42pm

Thanks, Jane.

I'm guessing the news producers and reporters in L.A. didn't actually want to show that, even though they've been interrupting all programming out here to show the tears...

Why?

They were probably texting when it happened themselves!

Because saying that the engineer was allegedly texting might just rip that Blackberry out of their own hands with reactionary legislation here in Sunny Southern Cal.

So they'll just show the crying people, because their ratings will be solid, while the relatives tune in to watch themselves, their neighbors and their "fellow brethren" telling you how tragic this was.

Seriously, I LIVE here... I've seen this on every single news broadcast all weekend long... and nobody has mentioned about the engineer possibly texting when this happened.

Thanks for telling me!

You're a lot closer to the truth and the actual NEWS about this than I am.

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 9:46pm

The only news segment that I watched on the train crash this weekend focused mainly on the destruction and fact that the engineer was possibly texting when it happened and that it was caused by human error.

It was a local newscast here in Dallas.

Weird that I would watch one newscast a few states away and get more information than besty who lives in L.A. and watched many hours of coverage. I think it proves his point.

[Jane2]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 9:48pm

and this just reminds me how much I hate texting. Everyone walking around NY is now texting instead of talking with the phone attached to their ear all day. The texting requires them to look down so that they crash into you all the time. And then they're mad if you say anything. Sometimes i get so mad that I tell them "Keep texting, whatever you do, don't stop texting!"

oy rant over

[D2]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 9:51pm

Jane, did you know that if you took the cell phone out of their hands they'd bleed to death?

[Jane2]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 9:54pm

HAHA!

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 9:55pm

Well, if it's true... and I'm saying IF...

...this texting has caused many people their lives, plus horrible injuries and destruction.

Yes, Jane, "keep on texting" and running into people. As you say.

Just don't be a train engineer or a bus driver, or an airline pilot when your doing it. That's no good.

Or anyone else for that matter!

Talk to people in person. Be in the moment, not somewhere else.

...And put your friggin phone DOWN.

NOW.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 10:23pm

I did not even know about it until I was driving home on Saturday morning, and I was mortified.

I have friends that take that train routinely, and with the increase in gas prices, more and more people are taking those trains rather than cars.

The death toll is now up to 25.

I honestly rarely watch network TV, so I have not seen much, but I was just flabbergasted when I heard.

[Marianne2]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 10:31pm

That's terrible. And people wonder why I never answer my cell phone while I drive. I couldn't imagine trying to text and drive. The sick thing is, so many people do it. And it actually makes me sick that a public transportation driver would do such a thing.

[Jane2]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 10:35pm

You just gave me a terrible thought. Are the subway drivers texting too???

This really isn't funny. If some ass wants to text, be my guest, but don't you dare put my life in danger.

[elphiesmagic]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 10:36pm

Most of the subway routes throughout the city are underground Jane, I don't think there is much worry of that.

And is there any confirmation of this texting report?

[Jane2]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 10:39pm

Yes, you're right about that, but I'm seeing more and more subway passengers being able to talk and text in the train. I keep hearing that soon they will come up with complete reception in the subway cars.

Updated On: 9/14/08 at 10:39 PM

[Kasie]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 10:47pm

The DRIVER of the train was texting?!

This makes me want to throw up.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 10:58pm

That is an allegation, but no one knows for sure what happened yet.

Let us not jump to conclusions until we get all of the information.

[Jane2]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 11:01pm

Kasie, I just now heard a radio report that the train line has come forward to admit that their driver DID go through a red signal. The texting part is still under question and I'm wondering if and how they can determine that.

[elphiesmagic]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 11:04pm

Not so surprising that a public agency would jump at the opportunity to blame the dead driver.

Is it possible that he had some sort of seizure, heart attack, stroke, anything like that? Is that being discussed? This texting thing is extremely inflammatory and not yet confirmed.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 11:06pm

Exactly.

[Jane2]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 11:09pm

I totally agree Elphie, and I wonder where the idea came from and how they could prove it.

[Jane2]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 11:17pm

"Not so surprising that a public agency would jump at the opportunity to blame the dead driver."

Wait a minute, I don't agree after all. The dead driver DID go through the stop signal. Who else would you blame? That is determined and announced by the train line. What caused him to pass the red signal, who knows right now, but it could be one of any reasons. I guess we might find out.

eta-If it turns out the engineer did have a heart attack or some other health issue which made him unable to carry out his job, then the word "blame" is not called for. However, his not being able to stop was the cause of the crash.

Updated On: 9/14/08 at 11:17 PM

[etoile]

Posted: 9/15/08 at 12:19am

The NTSB isn't going to make any blanket declarative statements about the incident until a preliminary fact based investigation is done. It would be irresponsible for them to do otherwise. But speculation as to the cause can and often does come from other sources and is seized by media outlets. NTSB will release a press statement when they have something to say.

Short of information, local media is going to focus on local victims and grief because that's what they do. Now why grieving people voluntarily permit a camera be shoved in their face and submit to questioning is something I will never understand...but I guess we all handle grief differently.

"The texting part is still under question and I'm wondering if and how they can determine that." You determine it by checking the driver's phone records.

[Jane2]

Posted: 9/15/08 at 12:54am

" You determine it by checking the driver's phone records. "

Yes, of course. I think I was jumping the gun and thinking that in such a terrible crash, the phone was probably damaged beyond hope, or lost.

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 9/15/08 at 1:04am

Updated On: 1/13/09 at 01:04 AM