09/17/2008
Robert Sanchez, Engineer in L.A. Metrolink Collision, was Gay
The L.A. Times today ran a profile on Robert Sanchez, the Metrolink train engineer who died along with 24 others when the train he was guiding collided with an oncoming Union Pacific train last Friday in the tragic accident that injured 135 other people.
Among the things that the profile reveals is that Sanchez was gay and had a lover who committed suicide five years ago:
"In the years before his death, Sanchez led a nomadic life, with public records showing addresses in Oregon, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, Nebraska and California. In 2000, he and Daniel Charles Burton, a waiter, bought a home in Crestline. Burton moved to California from West Haven, Conn., his family said, seeking better weather and the freedom to be gay. No one in Burton's family knows how the two men met, but Burton and Sanchez ended up living together in Studio City before moving to the San Bernardino Mountains. On Feb. 14, 2003, Burton hanged himself in the garage of their home. 'Rob, Happy Valentine's Day,' read a note Burton left behind that his sister Carolann Peschell kept. 'I love you. Please take care of yourself and Ignatia. I love you both very much. Daniel.' Ignatia was the greyhound the men owned. The coroner's report showed that Burton tested positive for HIV."
Continued, AFTER THE JUMP...
The paper notes that Sanchez had some issues around the time of Burton's suicide which involved an arrest for shoplifting and some traffic and tax infractions.
More: "In 2006, Sanchez moved into a modest, two-story home in La Crescenta along with his four greyhounds. A neighbor there, Oliver Amelsberg, 83, described Sanchez as polite but guarded, someone who liked talking about trains over the backyard fence but didn't reveal much about himself...Amelsberg said Sanchez once told him that he knew some teenagers enamored with trains that he'd occasionally wave to on his route. 'He only said that once, but I thought about it when they mentioned they were sending messages' over cellphones, Amelsberg said. Investigators are looking into reports that Sanchez may have been text messaging a group of teenage rail enthusiasts just before the accident, and the NTSB said Tuesday that it had subpoenaed cellphone records to examine the engineer's text messages."
A sad coda to a tragic event. May all those killed rest in peace, and all those injured recover.
Metrolink 111 engineer led solitary life marred by tragedy [la times]
Posted 9:15 AM EST by Andy Towle in Deaths, Los Angeles, News, Transportation | Permalink
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What a tragic story. "Happy Valentine's Day"?!? How does anyone get over that?
A tragic PS to a tragic situation.
Posted by: The Milkman | Sep 17, 2008 9:42:51 AM
But what difference does his sexuality make? Does his being Latino make a difference?
At a certain point, I think reporting on someone's race, religion, or sexuality is not only superfluous but also takes away from the story because it injects needless questions.
Did Sanchez's ethnicity or religion have any impact in his life more than his being gay? Did any of these attributes contribute to his death?
Posted by: noah | Sep 17, 2008 9:53:22 AM
oh shit, shit, shit.
the source of the human carnage was due to a feckless faggot.
this is the cross that all minorities bear: if there is a serial murderer on the loose, please don't let him be latino or black; if there is a pedophile on the loose, please don't let him be gay, black, or latino.
usually he is none of those, but we all suffer a bit of mental anguish, don't we?
Posted by: nic | Sep 17, 2008 9:55:07 AM
@NOAH,
all valid questions.
Posted by: nic | Sep 17, 2008 9:58:52 AM
Just wanted to point out that on here many people will be wondering why it was mentioned that he was gay. It's an interesting point considering many of the same people complained that NBC never mentioned that Matthew Mitcham is. Is there a double standard?
I think it is reporting that brings to light some insight into many people's questions of why this could have happened. People wonder if he was suicidal himself, so the TImes gives facts on both sides, there were tragic events in his life, including a lover's suicide, but also reveals interviews with close associates who describe him as upbeat. Unfortunately, I think it can be inferred that he was gay and texting with teenage males and missed the signal....
Posted by: Dan B | Sep 17, 2008 10:10:58 AM
What a tragic end to what must have been a truly sad time for Sanchez. Sanchez being gay is obviously not germaine to THE story but it is part of HIS story and there should be no qualms about telling it.
Posted by: Giovanni | Sep 17, 2008 10:47:04 AM
DAN B, nice that your first inclination is to attack gay people for having a double standard when it seems that it's actually the press that has a double standard. It seems that what you should have asked was, "since the press doesn't think it's important or proper to mention the sexual orientation of gay people when they do good, even HISTORIC, things (like Mitcham), then why do they have no issue in mentioning the sexual orientation and gay life of an alleged villain?"
It seems pretty clear to me why gay people would be upset by a media that hides our heroes but displays our villains.
Strange that your first compulsion would be to see this as a double standard on the part of gay people rather than a legitimate concern.
Posted by: Zeke | Sep 17, 2008 10:59:08 AM
...and of course, we can't overlook the fodder provided by this gay adult male engaging in text message conversations with teen boys which may have contributed to the loss of life.
I hope when they get his phone records they don't find anything questionable.
>Sigh!<
Yes, it sucks that these types of questions are the first things that go through our minds, but refraining from discussing it here isn't going to stop others who have an axe to grind against the Homosexual Community from hysterically bringing up the same questions in other forums.
Posted by: MikeinSanJose | Sep 17, 2008 11:48:55 AM
Can't industries that demand complete focus(air traffic controllers,bus drivers,etc)ban these distracting gadgets from the workplace? What a waste of human life. It tooks years to get Californians to get their cell phones out of one hand so they could drive with BOTH hands. Humans can be so idiotic until tragedy happens. Hopefully something can be learned from this situation that prevents another accident in the future.
Posted by: SFshawn | Sep 17, 2008 12:23:43 PM
Of course thay are gonna make a big deal out of this. How many teenaged boys are in your ceel phone? AND, do you text them the whole day through? I am afraid his phone records will prove this to be the case. Just what we need, 25 people dead because a horny engineer was texting his little boyfriends. THATS WHAT THEY ARE GONNA SAY. And, what of the flip side, they interviewed the boy who got the text moments before the crash, what if he crashed because he was READING the boys reply??? Wow, this story is so maddening. GET OFF OF YOUR CELL PHONES PEOPLE.
Posted by: clk | Sep 17, 2008 1:08:08 PM
Why on earth would they report that his lover was hiv positive? That seems absolutely unnecessary, regardless of the fact that he committed suicide. Simply being hiv positive is not reason enough to end your life, and the article insinuates that is the reason he did it. Disgusting journalism.
Posted by: David | Sep 17, 2008 1:30:20 PM
First of all, it seems to me that driving a train and driving a car are VERY different. And it also seems to me that texting while driving a train-while obviously not the smartest thing to do- is very different than txting while driving a car. From the reports I've read it sounds like this guy had PLENTY of warning that he needed to slow down and stop. After reading this post, my question is, did this guy actually commit suicide?
Posted by: Mr. E | Sep 17, 2008 1:35:54 PM
>>I've read it sounds like this guy had PLENTY of warning that he needed to slow down.<<
That's kinda of what has been weighing on my mind as well. Having ridden commuter rail for much of my life and worked with transit system engineers, there are usually multiple redunancies built in to the system. Many trains have in-cab alerting systems to alert an engineer that a signal change is occuring. (For instance, the system here has a warning alarm go off in the cab of the train each time the signal ahead is changed. The alarm doesn't stop until the engineer acknowledges the signal change on his controls.) So it is usually pretty difficult to miss a signal altogether. Many modern trains also have graded signaling systems that show cab alerts to the engineer several rail blocks ahead and gradually slow him down even though the only track signal is a red one. For instance, in the system here there is green, green-yellow, yellow, yellow-red, red which are set protection blocks ahead of a signal with audible alarms. The conductor gets warnings to slow down to the approved speed for that color so he practically crawls up to a red signal.
It seems like the system didn't have very good protection or the engineer purposely passed the signal at danger.
Posted by: Ed | Sep 17, 2008 1:54:49 PM
David, I think that the article was just outlining the various issues that Sanchez was going through. Surely having a partner with HIV qualifies as an issue that may have caused Sanchez stress at the time.
I thought it was interesting that the word "gay" isn't used once in the article. The outlines of his life are simply presented for what they are. That's progress of some sort, right?
Posted by: M. | Sep 17, 2008 2:13:50 PM
ED: I think that's part of the problem. The mechanical system failed and such a failure might put the focus on inspectors and managers. It's much easier to make the engineer (who cannot defend himself from innuendo and insinuations) the "sacrificial goat" over someone else's mismanagement.
Posted by: mike | Sep 17, 2008 2:21:28 PM
Did Sanchez actually commit suicide, and just brought everyone else in with him on his final day? And did the kid doing the texting actually reject his advances while on that fateful message?
Since suicide seems a part of this scenario, this assessment might not be as far-fetched as one might think.
And of course in the process, he also killed the lesbian police office who was going home to her lover of 6 years!
Potentially not a good day for gays in the media!
Posted by: carter | Sep 17, 2008 8:57:33 PM
It's sad that some are attempting to come up with salacious "reasons" why this terrible tragedy occurred -- and all before any substantive information has been made public from the investigation by the NTSB. Any chance this was just a horrible accident caused by some mechanical failure? Any chance that Mr. Sanchez was simply talking trains with these young train enthusiasts? Sure there might be more to the story (i.e., suicide, texting while he should have been heeding the signal) but it would be nice to wait until all the facts are uncovered before you drag this poor man (and all those who were hurt and lost their lives) through the mud.
Posted by: robertSD | Sep 17, 2008 11:04:55 PM
i agree with the milkman - how the fuck do you ever get over that shit!??
"Happy Valentine's Day!!??"
fuck.
Posted by: Clayton | Sep 17, 2008 11:49:10 PM