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Photo of the Day: November 9, 2009
WJLA/ABC7 reports that an unidentified Metrorail operator was suspended for five days without pay after a Metro rider posted a YouTube video of the driver that appears to show him using a cell phone to send an SMS while operating a Blue Line train.
You can't specifically tell what the operator is doing in the grainy cell phone video -- he's just seen looking down at something in his hands -- but it was apparently evidence enough for WMATA to issue the suspension. Metro operators are absolutely forbidden to use their cell phones while on duty. The quote given to WJLA by Metro spokesperson Lisa Farbstein says it all: "There is no explanation in terms of an excuse," she said. "There is absolutely no excuse."
The video was recorded on June 5, and the news breaks just a little over two weeks after the deadly Red Line Crash. Metro chief John Catoe has previously cleared Jeanice McMillan, the operator who lost her life in that crash, of any charges of having been distracted by her cell phone -- he said McMillan's phone was found inside her backpack after the crash.
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"Metro Operator Suspended for Texting Thanks to Video"
Who is Video, and why was the operator thanking Video?
Hah!
To me it just looks like the operator is taking a nap, but either way, appalling that he is completely unaware of everything around him. Glad to hear some action was taken.
only in dc would the guy not be fired. seriously, he put the lives of everyone on that train at risk. why on earth would they ever allow him to operate a train again?!?
Well, I don't know if I'd go THAT far, but you have a fair point. Especially in how freaking bad it looks.
why NOT go that far? its not this guy has some sort of skill set that makes him unreplaceable. i think its perfectly reasonable to have a no-tolerace policy for safety violations. would you prefer to wait until he causes an accident that kills a bunch of people?
but this is metro. so, run over pedestrians b/c you turned your bus without paying attention to who's in a cross walk? no problem! cause a rush hour nightmare because you're so stupid you got off the train you're operating and got on a train in the opposite direction without making sure there was someone to take your place? no problem! do a shotty job working on the track, which costs 9 people their lives a week later? no problem!
"seriously, he put the lives of everyone on that train at risk."
That's a bit overkill. Not "everyone" is at risk of death. And there are several factors at work other than operator incompetency.
fair enough. to be clear, i didn't mean that a train crash was certain to occur, or that a crash *would* kill every person on board. just that the operator had put each person's life at risk - as in, any of them could have been killed if that train had plowed into the back of a stationary train. yes, in the recent metro crash, all the fatalities were in the first car. but we're talking about trains that sometimes move 60 miles an hour, with passengers who are not wearing seat belts and who often aren't even seated. if you're unsecured in something moving 60 miles an hour that hits a wall, well, i think its fair to say your life is at risk. and also, in this most recent crash, it wasn't in a tunnel and there wasn't fire or smoke - so it wasn't a huge crisis that the survivors were initially trapped in that first car b/c the exits were blocked. again, i'm not trying to be dramatic. but seriously, he created a risky situation for everyone on that train for absolutely no reason. and that shouldn't be tolerated.
If you're a Metro operator, what do you do if you suddenly have to take a dump, like real bad? I'm guessing you don't pinch a loaf right in the cab and then toss it out the window between Farragut West and Foggy Bottom, for fear of some clown filming it and putting it up on YouTube. I assume they get regular breaks, right?
Two words: colostomy bag.
"Metro chief John Catoe has previously cleared Jeanice McMillan"
While this guy's statements mostly seem to be plain American political maneuvering, I wonder if he is willing to back this one up in court testimony so the two d-bags from the earlier post ("mental anguish") don't get a dime from their ridiculous estate suit.
If only there were legit consequences for filing a grossly negligent and false suit (beyond just a counter-suit for defamation or the like)...
Maybe someone can enlighten me and say there are and make me happy that something is right with our judicial system...
What? You've never pooped in an empty biggie-size Wendy's Frosty cup before and then pretend like nothing happened?
Wow I can't believe this guy was so focused on whatever it was in his lap (likely a phone as everyone else has said) that he didn't even notice he was being recorded! I've had some operators shoo me out of that front seat because they get nervous having someone sit there, but this guy doesn't seem to mind at all!
I was on a train about a week ago and I could distinctly hear text message alerts over the intercom each time the operator announced a stop or notice... I knew it was text alerts because it's the same annoying noise heard on just about every Verizon phone out there... in fact my friend has one that makes the very same noise when he gets text messages... I reported it to Metro, the operator even gave his name when someone hit an emergency button as "Operator Cheng" ... hopefully something will come of that but I'm not holding my breath!
Now can we make it so bus drivers are forbidden to use their cell phones while on duty? It may not be a health hazard but why should the damn schedule run late so you can finish your phone conversation before you get into the bus?
The glass doors by the operator should be transparent so that passengers can better see the driver for exactly this reason.
Yeah, there is no way THAT could be distracting to the driver.
Should be fired.
Also, Transit Police should have the authority to randomly search any bus or train driver and if a cell phone or similar device (or worse, like drugs) is found, the driver is fired on the spot.
I thought trains were being operated in manual mode until they figure out what went wrong with the automatic system?! This train is obviously operating in automatic mode!
Reading comprehension 101: this video was taken BEFORE the accident.
I misread it as July 5, not June 5. I was flustered after seeing that video!
No need to get snarky.
Last night during rush hour I was on an orange line train that flew by my stop (Dunn Loring). It did not stop or even attempt to slow down. No service announcements or etc were made. Angry at first (b/c had to turn around at Vienna to go back 1 stop) then worried (signal failure like the red line trains?) Then I saw this article and thought maybe it was a distracted driver. I reported it metro. We'll see if they respond.
As frustrating as this sounds, sometimes they are instructed to skip a stop in order to maintain the trains on the right schedule; although if that is what happened, they definitely should have made an announcement.
geezthings, I was on one of the orange line trains that flew past Dunn Loring. There was an announcement made on board my train that it would not be servicing that station. I chalked it up to a delay, as evidenced by the 15 minutes I had to wait for my train from Federal Triangle.
I've seen some pretty ridiculous metro bus driver behavior. I've been on a metro bus at night where the driver was on his cell phone for pretty much the entire trip. Another time, the female driver was eating cup-o-noodles while driving... she also made a pit-stop at a McDonald's for water.
Well, of course she made a pit-stop for some water. Those Cup-o-noodles are salty.