According to a July 19, AP report “The operator of a light-rail train that crashed [in San Francisco], injuring dozens of passengers as well as the operator, came under scrutiny on Sunday as federal investigators tried to figure out why he turned off the automatic controls moments before the accident. Ted Turpin, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, said that the operator switched the controls from automatic to manual in a tunnel near the West Portal Station and that he never engaged the emergency brake. Had the operator kept the autopilot on, Mr. Turpin said, the train would have slowed down before arriving at the station and most likely not have careened into a parked train while going 23 miles per hour.”
Toyota settles sudden acceleration case for ten million dollars
December 26, 2010
Toyota settled a California sudden acceleration case causing the death of California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor and three family members.
The last words of the officer were captured on a horrifying 911 emergency call as the vehicle continued accelerating into an intersection ending in a fiery crash