Jeanice McMillian, 42, Operator of the Metro Train that Rear-Ended Another during Rush Hour, Became Train Operator on Dec. 8, 2008

The blame game has begun in the aftermath of rush-hour collision between two crowded trains on Washington D.C.'s subway system. The accident, the tagged as the deadliest in Washington D.C. Metro's history, killed nine and injured countless other passengers, trapping commuters in a stack of twisted rail cars. According to media reports, witnesses said a train near the Fort Totten station on the Red Metro Line was rear-ended by another train, operated by the late Jeanice McMillian, 42, who has been a train operator since December 8, 2008. It was the scene of total mayhem and when the dust settles, there will be a lot of finger-pointing. Experts familiar with Metro's operations focused last night on a failure of the signal system and operator error as likely causes of yesterday's fatal Red Line crash.

District of Columbia Fire Chief Dennis Rubin said rescuers treated 76 patients at the scene in the first two hours, including six who died. Three bodies were located in the wreckage late Monday night. The accident occurred on a curved section of track after a long straightaway, during clear weather, on the subway system's most heavily used line. It was about 5 p.m. local time, among the system's busiest hours. Metro chief John Catoe said the first train was stopped on the tracks, waiting for another train to clear the station ahead, when the trailing train plowed into it.

Metro trains generally are operated by a computer system; operators can override the controls on orders from dispatchers. Metro was designed with a fail-safe computerized signal system that is supposed to prevent trains from colliding. The agency's trains are run by onboard computers that control speed and braking. Another electronic system detects the position of trains to maintain a safe distance between them. If they get too close, the computers automatically apply the brakes, stopping the trains. These systems were supposed to make yesterday's crash impossible. Source: Washington Post

So, let's revisit the train operator, Ms. McMillian. According to media reports, in yesterday's crash, it appeared that the operator of the train that crashed did not apply the emergency brakes, also known as the "mushroom." Experts said the train appeared to be traveling fast before impact because the force pushed the first car of the train on top of the train ahead. Witnesses on the train that crashed also reported that the train did not brake before impact. She should have been able to spot the train ahead of her. The train was not inside a tunnel and skies were clear. The operator could have been incapacitated due to a medical emergency or above all, a catastrophic failure of the braking system could have been the reason for the crash.

The point I am trying to make is, rather than piling onto the train operator, there are a myriad of other reasons why this crash could have occurred. What is horrific is the fact that the transit system has never bothered to replace these older trains. Apparently the southbound train that crashed into the other train was one of the oldest in Metro's fleet. Five years ago, according to the Washington Post, federal regulators said that model car should be strengthen to better protect occupants in case of a collision. Did they bother to institute such changes? No. The excuse was that retrofitting the trains didn't necessarily mean it would work. So, then why not replace those cars? You see, the Metro had decided to phase out the old cars as it purchased newer vehicles, but guess what, all the old cars remain in service and total about one-third of the Metro fleet.

So, whether this is operator error or not, the management of the Metro rail share some blame in this accident, especially if it centers around the age of these cars. What is amazing is that the transit system did not learn from the last accident, in much the same way as the fallout in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It was common knowledge that the levees in New Orleans could not withstand a Category 4 hurricane, but nobody bothered to get the funds in place to fortify these levees before something catastrophic occurred. Here we go again, with the Metro, after the accident in 2004, nobody bothered to put corrective measures in place. This is a vicious cycle that plays out constantly in this country.