The NTSB says that Robert Sanchez, the engineer whose Metrolink train ran head-on into a freight train in Chatsworth, sent a text message 22 seconds before the crash that has killed 25 people so far, including Sanchez. This confirms the story told by teenagers who said they were messaging with Sanchez at the time. From AP:

The National Transportation Safety Board said today that cell phone records of Robert Sanchez show he received a text message a minute and 20 seconds before the crash, and sent one about a minute later.

Investigators are looking into whether Sanchez was distracted when he ran through a red signal and collided with a Union Pacific train Sept. 12.

The records also showed that Sanchez sent 24 text messages and received 21 messages over a two-hour period during his morning shift. During his afternoon shift, he received seven and sent five messages from his cell phone.

Here's the LAT web story.

Previous Metrolink crash coverage