Engineer in deadly US crash train crash had sleep apnea

NEW YORK (AA) – The engineer of a New Jersey Transit commuter train that caused a deadly crash in Hoboken earlier this year had sleep apnea, the man’s attorney said Wednesday.

"My client was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea just recently, during an examination by an expert that I arranged after the accident," attorney Jack Arseneault said in a statement, according to CBS News.

Engineer Thomas Gallagher, who has worked for New Jersey Transit for 29 years, told National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials after the Sept. 29 crash he had no memory of the accident, but remembers waking up in the cab lying on the floor. He said he was fully rested before his shift and pulled the brakes one second before impact.

“The diagnosis made sense to Mr. Gallagher in light of the fact he couldn’t remember anything about the crash. The last thing he remembers was checking his speed at 10 mph and blowing the horn then ringing the bell as he approached the station," Arseneault said.

A preliminary NTSB report at the beginning of October found the train was accelerating 38 seconds before the crash, from an initial legal speed of 8 miles per hour (13 kph) to a maximum of about 21 mph (34 kph), while the pressure on the brakes remained unchanged. The speed limit in the station is 10 mph.

Arseneault noted that his client was cleared for duty after undergoing a physical examination in July and, the results of his sleep apnea test were forwarded Oct. 31 to the NTSB.

The accident killed Fabiola Bittar de Kroon, 34, who was waiting at the terminal when she was struck by debris, after dropping off her 18-month-old daughter at a nearby day care center. At least 108 other victims were injured in the crash.

Gallagher has been an engineer for 18 years.