The train engineer who fell asleep at the controls of a speeding New York train three years ago, causing a derailment that killed four and injured dozens of passengers, will receive a $3,200-a-month disability pension from the railroad for the rest of his life.
William Rockefeller found out recently that the Metropolitan Transit Authority's Pension Disability Medical Review Board had taken his side in his appeal of a separate pension board's September decision turning back his request.
“The Pension Disability Medical Review Board reviewed the appeal and determined that Mr. Rockefeller is disabled from performing his function as an engineer and he is eligible now to receive his pension,” the MTA said. The board is made up of medical professionals.
The total monthly payout will be approximately $3,200, the MTA added. It will be in addition to a federal railroad retirement pension Rockefeller was awarded earlier this year. That amount was unknown.
Officials cited medical privacy issues in refusing to discuss Rockefeller’s disability. In September, Rockefeller’s union said he was seeking the disability for a post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by the accident on Dec. 1, 2013.
Rockefeller’s Manhattan-bound train was going 82 mph along a curve marked for 30 mph when it derailed, coming to rest along the banks of the Hudson River near Spuyten-Duyvil.
Several passengers were thrown through the train’s windows and Metro-North air conditioning mechanic Samuel Rivera was paralyzed.
Several lawsuits filed by passengers as well as the families of those who were killed are still pending. In October, The Journal News/lohud.com reported that nearly $32 million in settlements and legal costs have been paid out to resolve the claims of passengers injured in the derailment.
The award comes just three weeks after Rockefeller filed a $10 million federal lawsuit against Metro-North, claiming the commuter rail was to blame for the accident.
William Rockefeller found out recently that the Metropolitan Transit Authority's Pension Disability Medical Review Board had taken his side in his appeal of a separate pension board's September decision turning back his request.
“The Pension Disability Medical Review Board reviewed the appeal and determined that Mr. Rockefeller is disabled from performing his function as an engineer and he is eligible now to receive his pension,” the MTA said. The board is made up of medical professionals.
The total monthly payout will be approximately $3,200, the MTA added. It will be in addition to a federal railroad retirement pension Rockefeller was awarded earlier this year. That amount was unknown.
Officials cited medical privacy issues in refusing to discuss Rockefeller’s disability. In September, Rockefeller’s union said he was seeking the disability for a post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by the accident on Dec. 1, 2013.
Rockefeller’s Manhattan-bound train was going 82 mph along a curve marked for 30 mph when it derailed, coming to rest along the banks of the Hudson River near Spuyten-Duyvil.
Several passengers were thrown through the train’s windows and Metro-North air conditioning mechanic Samuel Rivera was paralyzed.
Several lawsuits filed by passengers as well as the families of those who were killed are still pending. In October, The Journal News/lohud.com reported that nearly $32 million in settlements and legal costs have been paid out to resolve the claims of passengers injured in the derailment.
The award comes just three weeks after Rockefeller filed a $10 million federal lawsuit against Metro-North, claiming the commuter rail was to blame for the accident.
