Found the following just now - the engineer is suing Amtrak!
Lawyers for Garrick Freeman of Bellevue, Washington, say Amtrak failed to provide a safe work environment. The Dec. 18 crash near DuPont, Washington, killed three and injured dozens.
Freeman, who was in the front of the train at the time of the crash, suffered a crushed pelvis and cracked ribs. He remains in a rehabilitation hospital and is unable to work.
Freeman was the conductor. But wasn't he up with the engineer? If so, why? And the engineer hasn't been ID'd in any article I can find.
He has precedent for accidents caused by company orders
The Wreck of the Old 97
Well they gave him his orders at Monroe Virginia sayin’ Steve you’re way behind time
This is not 38 this is old 97 you must put her into Spencer on time
Then he turned around and said to his black greasy fireman shovel on a little more coal
And when we cross that White Oak Mountain watch old 97 roll
But it’s a mighty rough road from Lynchburg to Danville
With a line on a three mile grade
It was on that grade that he lost his air brakes see what a jump he made
He was goin’ down the grade makin’ 90 miles an hour his whistle broke into a scream
He was found in the wreck with his hand on the throttle
A scalded to death by the steam
Then the telegram come to Washington station and this is how it read
Oh that brave engineer that run old 97 he’s a layin’ in old Danville dead
So now all you ladies you better take a warnin’ from this time on and learn
Never speak harsh words to your true lovin’ husband
He may leave you and never retur
Hold on - this guy was a conductor (ticket collector?) - not the engineer - sorry!
Heh - another article said he normally works in the body of the train cars - but was up front in the engineer at the time of the accident. It wouldn’t surprise me if HE was the one that distracted the engineer.
“Heh - this is really cool. What does that lever do? What happens if you push this button!? You must get paid a lot. How can I become an engineer? Where’s the gas pedal?”
CRASH!
“Amtrak should have never let me up there to bother him. I’m suing!” (Hmm - like the protestor in CA that got hit by a car as she ran out into the freeway - “The college should have never let us protest! I’m suing them!”