CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SAN FRANCISCO : Train Engineer Not Tested for Alcohol

Two California Highway Patrol officers said Friday the engineer of a train that struck and killed two men last Saturday had alcohol on his breath, but Southern Pacific investigators disagreed and did not test him for drunkenness. The engineer, after being questioned by three railroad officials, was allowed to continue in command of the train after the accident. “I could smell an alcoholic beverage on the engineer’s breath,” said CHP Sgt. Harry Larson, who interviewed the engineer immediately after the accident. “He sat in the car with me for 5 or 10 minutes. He was not grossly intoxicated, but he smelled as if he’d been drinking.” Larson and Officer Bill Herbert said the engineer, whose identity has not been made public, did not display any other signs of drunkenness. Because the accident was not within their jurisdiction, the officers filed a report and turned the case over to railroad police licensed by the state and employed by Southern Pacific.