Richard Harbus/for New York Daily NewsThere he stands, with a stunned look on his face, in the aftermath of his train crash.
William Rockefeller, the Metro-North engineer under fire for Sunday's deadly wreck, is seen milling around amid the mayhem in a series of dramatic photos taken by Daily News lens man Richard Harbus.
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Union officials say Rockefeller - despite being injured - tapped his EMT training and tried to help injured passengers and a conductor who suffered broken ribs.
The first photographs of Rockefeller that appeared after the disaster showed him being taken from the crash site on a stretcher several hours after the 7:20 a.m. train derailment.
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But in shots Harbus took before the 46-year-old engineer left, Rockefeller apparently had no problem hefting a heavy backpack while cops and firefighters were frantically tending to the banged-up passengers scattered around them.
In one of the first shots, Rockefeller is seen talking to what looks like a female conductor strapped on an emergency spine board. He is holding in his right hand what appears to be a smartphone.
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Federal investigators are now examining Rockefeller's cellphone.
Then Rockefeller reaches into a black bag with red straps that is resting in the brush beside the prone woman. It is not clear what he is reaching for.
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In the next series of shots, the engineer - still wearing his backpack - is seen walking over to where another Metro-North worker and an NYPD officer are standing.
Rockefeller's left side is visible, so it's not clear if the cellphone is still in his right hand. But the engineer appears to be animated as he talks with them.
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The trio pauses from the conversation and watches as two columns of crash survivors, with identification cards hanging on lanyards from their necks, march past like refugees.
Then Rockefeller walks off, now holding what appears to be another heavy rucksack in his hands.
It's not clear whose back it is. Nor has it been revealed who decided later that Rockefeller was in no shape to walk and placed him on a stretcher.
But in this final shot, Rockefeller seems to be focused on adjusting a strap or a zipper on the bag in his hands - and doesn't appear to have any trouble bearing this heavy load.
csiemaszko@nydailynews.com
Posted by Unknown on Wednesday, December 4, 2013 - Rating: 4.5
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