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Midland Train Accident AftermathNov 16, 2012 (Odessa American - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- 2:25 p.m. National Transportation Safety Board officials called a press conference early Friday afternoon in Midland to discuss aspects of the investigation of the train-trailer crash in Midland that claimed the lives of four people and injured 16 others Thursday. OA Crime reporter Corey Paul was at the press conference, and here's a narrative of his tweets from the conference. Odessa American will be updating this story as more information emerges. NTSB spokesman Mark Rosekind said they'll be asking for huge amounts of information, and the initial report will come 10 business days after investigators leave. The driver of the float hit spoke to Midland Police, but NTSB hasn't spoken with him yet. Rosekind would not say whether the engineer had been interviewed, but did say NTSB will interview him and everyone at the scene. Between analyzing the video and the signal system, investigators will be able "to be able to get this down to seconds" in terms of details that led up to the crash, Rosekind said. The full investigation could take up to a year. Seven agencies are collecting data and will issue full reports Rosekind said if anything needs immediate attention, NTSB will issue an urgent safety recommendation. Highway and railroad investigators are in Midland. Investigators will try to determine whether something was wrong with the truck. The train was 84 cars long, more than 7,000 feet, with four engines. It was coming from Los Angeles. Joe Cobarobio of Midland said he filmed the wreck from a parking lot at Garfield and Industrial and said he was later arrested later when he wouldn't cooperate with authorities. He said his camera was confiscated. Follow Odessa American on twitter @OdessaAmerican, like us on Facebook at Odessa American or call 432-333-7714 for the main newsroom line. ___ (c)2012 the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) Visit the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) at www.oaoa.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |