Spanish Train Driver Was Talking On Phone

It turns out Francisco José Garzón Amo, the Spanish train driver being investigated after a train he was driving crashed and killed 79 people, was talking with a colleague on the phone and reading a document in the moments before the crash.

He was also driving at 95 miles per hour — almost twice the legal speed limit. Investigators looking into the crash announced Tuesday that their analysis suggests human error was the cause of the worst railway disaster Spain has seen in decades.

The investigation so far says Amo received a call on his work phone telling him which approach to take toward his final destination. “From the contents of the conversation and from the background noise it seems that the driver [was] consulting a plan or similar paper document," a statement from the court said.

Amo hit the brakes seconds before the crash. A high-tech automatic braking system is installed on most of the high-speed track where Amo was driving — but stopped about three miles south of where the crash happened, putting increased responsibility on the driver to take charge.

Garzon was provisionally charged Sunday with multiple counts of negligent homicide.