Engineer Doesn't Recall Train's Speed Before Deadly Crash: NTSB

What to Know

  • The engineer of the NJ transit train that crashed, Thomas Gallagher, said he couldn't remember the train's speed before the accident
  • NTSB Vice Chairman Bella Dinh-Zarr said he only remembered waking up after the accident had happened
  • One of two data recorders on the train was not working during the crash

The engineer of the New Jersey Transit locomotive said he couldn't remember the train's speed before Thursday's fatal crash, National Transit Board officials said.

Thomas Gallagher told investigators that he had no memory of the accident, NTSB Vice Chairman Bella Dinh-Zarr said during a press conference Sunday afternoon.

"The engineer says he has no memory of the accident," she said. "He remembers waking up on the floor of the cab."

According to Dinh-Zarr, the 48-year-old said he successfully conducted the required brake tests and that the train operated normally throughout the trip approaching the accident site.

Gallagher, who became a qualified engineer in 2000, said there was clear visibility approaching the station. He said when he checked the speedometer, he was operating at 10 miles per hour when entering the station track. 

The conductor of the train stated that he didn't notice any abnormal behavior from Gallagher and that they had worked together several times before. He also didn't notice the speed of the train because he was too busy collecting tickets on the crowded train, which had only four cars instead of the usual five, Dinh-Zarr said. 

NTSB officials also revealed that one of the train's data recorders, built in 1995, was not working during the time of the crash.

Dinh-Zarr told NBC News that she hopes that the agency will wait until the second recorder is recovered to determine the speed of the train.

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