Had sued for $10 million in fatal crash
William Rockefeller, who was driving the train that derailed in the Bronx in December 2013, killing James Lovell of Philipstown and three other passengers, has dropped a $10 million lawsuit he filed against Metro-North.
The 2013 derailment killed four passengers. (NTSB)
Rockefeller, who was injured in the Hudson Line crash, said the rail service was to blame for not installing an automatic braking safety system that would have slowed the train when he went around a curve at 82 mph, or about 50 mph over the limit. Investigators concluded Rockefeller had fallen asleep.
The engineer’s lawyer, Ira Mauer, told The Journal News that Rockefeller was concerned he could lose a countersuit by Metro-North to recover the cost of its wrecked train. Rockefeller was not charged in the crash. His attorney called him a “scapegoat” for the railroad’s safety shortcomings.
With the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, it’s all about money and no one is held accountable. Gov. Cuomo should, as he put it earlier this year, “blow up the MTA,” and the MTA should pay for its blatant negligence.
Rockefeller should be mandated to a lifetime of community service until he learns how to tell the truth, and his attorney, Ira Mauer, should look for a new career. [via Facebook]
Montgomery represents Philipstown in the Putnam County Legislature. Her husband, Jim Lovell, was killed in the 2013 derailment on the Hudson line.