SAN FRANCISCO--The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation into the Muni metro crash that injured nearly 50 people when an outbound train rear-ended another near the West Portal Station boarding platform Saturday.

Four people, including the operator of the L-train, suffered severe injuries, but were in stable condition. Another 44 sustained minor to moderate injuries.

Information will help determine if the equipment failed, the driver erred or fell asleep, or if drugs and alcohol were involved. There's no indication at this point that cell phone use was involved.

Investigators tried to figure out why the driver inexplicably turned off the automatic controls moments before the collision.

Had he kept the autopilot on, the train would have slowed down before arriving at the station and likely not careened into a parked train while going 23 mph, NTSB investigator Ted Turpin said. He added that the operator never engaged the emergency brake. (Source: San Francisco Chronicle)

Story Date: July 21, 2009