Politics & Government
Metro-North Train Engineer Who Fell Asleep, Killing 4, Wants the MTA to Pay Him $10M
William Rockefeller fell asleep at the controls of a speeding Manhattan-bound train in 2013.
THE BRONX, NY — William Rockefeller, the Metro-North train engineer who fell asleep behind the controls of a Manhattan-bound train speeding through the Bronx in 2013, killing four people and injuring 60 more, is suing sued the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) for $10 million, according to multiple news reports Thursday.
Rockefeller, who has also claimed he has an undiagnosed sleep disorder, will now argue in court that the MTA — which runs Metro-North — should have built an automatic braking system into the train that would have slowed it down when it passed the speed limit, the Journal News reported.
The now-retired train engineer is also receiving a federal pension, according to the upstate newspaper.
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Patch has reached out to Rockefeller's attorney for more details on the lawsuit. Check back for updates.
Lead image by Barry Solow/Flickr
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