Questioning of ill-fated train driver goes on<\/p>\n
or<\/p>\n
Probe into deadly train crash presses on<\/p>\n
Nana Rukmana
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nBrebes<\/p>\n
Police continued their questioning of the driver of the Empu
\nJaya train on Wednesday, after he was named as the possible
\nculprit in last month's train crash that killed 30 people in
\nBrebes, Central Java.<\/p>\n
Although seriously injured, Muhammad To'at, 50, is being
\nquestioned by a team of experts from the National Police forensic
\nlaboratory and psychiatrists at the Brebes hospital where he has
\nbeen treated, along with Central Java police.<\/p>\n
The questioning began on Monday.<\/p>\n
The use of a psychiatrist is \"important to know about the
\npsychological health of the suspect, to determine if he is fit
\nenough for further questioning,\" Brebes Police chief Adj. Sr.
\nComr. Heru Setyawan said.<\/p>\n
To'at suffered two broken arms and was reportedly in a state
\nof shock following the head-on collision between his Empu Jaya
\nand the Gaya Baru Malam train at the small Ketanggungan railway
\nstation in Brebes on Dec. 25.<\/p>\n
\"The results of the forensic investigation will be further
\nverified with physical a chemistry approach to determine its
\naccuracy,\" Heru said.<\/p>\n
The police, he said, are yet to name another suspect, although
\nthey have questioned at least 20 witnesses, including the
\ndriver's assistant, Nana Rukmana, head of the Ketanggungan
\nstation Ujang Effendi and the engineer of Gaya Baru Malam
\nSutrisna.<\/p>\n
Questioning of Nana will determine whether he will become a
\nnew suspect, or remain a witness, Heru added.<\/p>\n
The police assisted another team of investigators from state-
\nowned railway company, PT Kereta Api Indonesian (KAI) and the
\nMinistry of Transportation, in attempting to find out the cause
\nof the crash.<\/p>\n
The team had confirmed police officials' earlier theory that
\nthe collision stemmed from human error, after To'at had ignored a
\nseries of traffic signals near the Ketanggungan station.<\/p>\n
Investigators also found that To'at did not apply his brakes
\nuntil he was 135.3 meters away from the Gaya Baru Malam -- far
\ntoo close to avoid a crash.<\/p>\n
This finding \"shoots down\" Muhammad To'at's earlier statement
\n-- namely that the Empu Jaya's brakes failed as he approached the
\nstation, according to Heru.<\/p>\n
Beyond that, Heru added that the Empu Jaya, at 85 kilometers
\nper hour (kph), was traveling too fast when it approached the
\npoint of impact near the train station. The permissible speed in
\nthe area was only 30 kph.<\/p>\n
And, \"at the time of the crash, the Empu Jaya was traveling at
\n78.83 kph,\" he said; the maximum speed is 30 kph. \"It clearly
\nshows that the driver violated the maximum speed, so the train
\nentered the station 17 seconds too early.\"<\/p>\n
PT KAI and the government have been blasted by critics for
\noveremphasizing human or technical error as the cause for this,
\nand a recent spate of other similar accidents, in which hundreds
\nhave been killed.<\/p>\n
Train drivers, mostly between 40 and 50 years old, have always
\nfallen victims to blame -- while the state-owned railway company
\nhas yet to cite the conditions of the trains and the railways as
\npossible factors.<\/p>\n
Critics and consumers say PT KAI has never learned lessons
\nfrom previous train crashes that were largely caused by company
\nmismanagement, rather than human or technical error.<\/p>\n
In a rare move last week, however, the company acknowledged a
\ndegree of responsibility for the Brebes accident when its board
\nof directors resigned.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/questioning-of-ill-fated-train-driver-goes-on-1447893297",
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