end of the recording, the train s speed exceeded 100 miles an hour. they have done checks to the signals and controls and track from before the accident. they checked the mechanical inspection records up until the departure of the trip. officials say they found no anomalies in the reports. they say a vehicle drove over the section of the track for a visual check the day before the trip and found no anomalies. they checked the signals around the track. so far, they have found no anomalies. christine. brian, thank you for that. friends and colleagues of engineer brandon bostian are speaking out in his defense. xavier bishop worked with bostian as his flagman. bishop said he was consciousous. he says he never saw bostian take a drink or use a cell phone
back. and he says this engineer always checked out fine. there was nothing that would alarm him about anything when the engineer was behind the train. let me ask you some tough questions. ever see him drinking? never. ever see him too sleepy? never. texting? no. phone calls? never had his phone out. it didn t matter what the situation was. never had his phone out. let me ask you, what do you think happened? i i honestly don t know. i really believe something happened prior to him getting to that curve. we all know what the speed limits are. and it s not a mystery to us. again, i went up and down the rails with brandon hundreds of time. wolf as that flagman says the crews of the trains especially experienced ones know every inch of that track. know the speed limits. he says he can t imagine what the explanation is but it must come he says from the engineer
have had nearly 100 year of opportunity to implement some sort of system but failed to do so. he was obviously passionate about safety and was writing about it in 2011. you spoke to a former colleague of bostian s. what did he say? he was a flagman on this very route along with brandon bostian and xavier bishop was fired last year due to app abson teeism involving family issue. but when i asked him about any issues with brandon bostian as an engineer this is what he said. ever see him drinking? never. ever see him too sleepy? no. texting?
the system called the positive train control which defaults and kicks in and stops the train when it is going too fast that system was in place in the southbound side of the section of the track, but not on the northbound side which is where the accident occurred. the reason that positive train control is in place in the southbound side this spokesperson said is the trains going from new york south travel at a greater rate of speed. it has been a big controversy that the system has not been in place in the northbound system. the officials say if it had been then this accident would not have occurred. christine. brian todd great context. friends and colleagues of brandon bostian are defending him. xavier bishop worked with him as a flagman for some time. he doesn t work for amtrak anymore.
conductor before rising to the rank of engineer in 2010 according to his linkedin profile. his neighbor in queens new york says it s a job he loves. he liked that. he was happy. he was happy with his job. that s all the conversation i had with him. very personable guy. really nice. responsible. nerve her a negative thought about him. reporter: cnn obtained the crew sheet and including the conductor emilio hospitalized with a fractured skull. akita henry, assistant conductor and the person who ran the cafe car. a railroad employee told cnn the crew has been instructed by amtrak not to talk to the media. jake i just wrapped up an interview with a longtime flagman who worked with brandon bostian on this very route. he calls him a great engineer safety conscious, no personal