Suspicions surrounding last month's fatal train crash in Los Angeles have been confirmed: the engineer of a commuter train sent a text message only seconds before the collision with a freight train.

The accident, caused by the commuter train running a red light, killed 25 people and injured 135 during the afternoon rush hour on Sept. 12.

Engineer Robert Sanchez, who died in the crash, sent and received dozens of text messages while working that day, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The safety board estimated that the last text message he sent was 22 seconds before the accident. He had received a message about the time the train was approaching a red signal indicating that it was to stop to let the freight train pass.

Mr. Sanchez was supposed to radio the freight train's conductor that he saw the signal. That never happened, according to the NTSB.

Two 14-year-old boys told reporters they sent messages to Mr. Sanchez just before the crash. The engineer received and sent several text messages during his afternoon and morning shifts.

His railroad, Metrolink, has a policy forbidding train engineers to send or receive messages while operating trains.

An engineer using a cell phone caused a 2002 fatal train crash in Texas, which prompted the NTSB to ask the Federal Railroad Administration to ban the use of wireless communication devices by railroad operators. The FRA said it was not necessary because most railroads forbid their use, USA Today reported.

The sad conclusion is that last month's train crash could have been prevented if the commuter train operator had not been distracted.