Engineer sent text message 22 seconds before fatal crash

From the Associated Press:

Federal investigators say the engineer of a Metrolink commuter train sent a text message 22 seconds before the collision with a freight train in Chatsworth last month that killed 25 people.

The National Transportation Safety Board said today that cell phone records of Robert Sanchez show he received a text message a minute and 20 seconds before the crash, and sent one about a minute later.

Investigators are looking into whether Sanchez was distracted when he ran through a red signal and collided with a Union Pacific train Sept. 12.

The records also showed that Sanchez sent 24 text messages and received 21 messages over a two-hour period during his morning shift. During his afternoon shift, he received seven and sent five messages from his cell phone.