Most recently on the Appeal: Muni Driver Told Union He Suffered A Blackout Right Before Crash

ABC7: Illicit practice admitted in Muni crash Quotes Irwin Lum, president of the Transport Workers Union, on the investigators’ discovery that the train was switched from automatic to manual mode when entering the tunnel, which is a violation of Muni policy. He said “operators routinely go to manual so they can pull up behind trains that are stopped, and load and unload their passengers faster.” And that this violation of Muni rules is a result of pressure on drivers to adhere to Muni schedules.

Chron: Switch to manual controls a focus of Muni probe Reminds everyone that they reported that driver Henry Grey told investigators that he blacked out right before the crash, and that witnesses say they saw him slumped over the controls before the train he was piloting hit the one in front of him. Also goes into more detail on how the automatic-to-manual switch works, and quotes the head of the Muni drivers’ union and a former Muni Metro driver as saying this practice was common and accepted by management.

CBS5: Union Says Driver In SF Muni Crash Passed Out Same thing as everyone else, and quotes “Attorney Matthew Davis, whose firm is representing two victims.” (This Matthew Davis? Interesting.)

the author

Eve Batey is the editor and publisher of the San Francisco Appeal. She used to be the San Francisco Chronicle's Deputy Managing Editor for Online, and started at the Chronicle as their blogging and interactive editor. Before that, she was a co-founding writer and the lead editor of SFist. She's been in the city since 1997, presently living in the Outer Sunset with her husband, cat, and dog. You can reach Eve at eve@sfappeal.com.

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