The driver of the light rail train that crashed at Baltimore-Washington International Airport Feb. 13, who tested positive for cocaine, was taking a powerful painkiller, had had problems with drugs before and was seen falling asleep at the controls.
According to documents obtained by The Sun, Sam Epps, the driver, told investigators he was taking oxycodone -- a pain reliever that can cause drowsiness, blurred vision and an out-of-body feeling. The medication had been prescribed by his dentist after he had had four teeth pulled.
Highly placed state government sources, who declined to be identified, said Epps, 53, a 25-year transit veteran, also tested positive for cocaine during a random drug check in 1994, completed an employee rehabilitation program and was returned to his job.
Anthony Brown, a spokesman for the Mass Transit Administration, which operates the light rail line, said he could not confirm the previous cocaine test because it was part of personnel records that are private, but would not deny it. Efforts to reach Epps were unsuccessful.
At least two witnesses told MTA investigators they saw Epps fall asleep during the trip from Penn Station in Baltimore to the airport in Linthicum, according to the documents.
Epps, of the 3900 block of Forest Park Ave. in Baltimore, was injured in the accident along with 22 passengers. Most suffered minor injuries, including fractures and cuts.
The one-car train was traveling between 22 mph and 24 mph, about 10 mph faster than normal, when it failed to stop at the station near the international wing at the airport. The train broke through a barrier and slammed into a large, yellow bumper about 2: 30 p.m. The front of the car rode up over the bumper, and the train was derailed.
Linda G. Thorne, 36, who was riding in the front of the train, told MTA police that it "seemed the operator fell asleep" just before the train crashed, according to the documents.
Vernon Wright, a passenger who said he had a clear view of the front operator's cabin, told police that he thought something was wrong with the operator before the crash.
He said the train stopped at the North Linthicum station to allow a northbound train to clear the tracks. But after the northbound train passed and the signal turned green, the operator sat for 10 to 15 seconds, shook his head and body, then started the train.
