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SC train wreck conductor: I'm a victim, too

The man at the helm of the children's train ride that crashed and killed a 6-year-old boy said Wednesday that the wreck hurt him emotionally and physically.

"I'm as much a victim here as anyone else," said Matt Conrad, flanked by two attorneys, his right arm in a sling. "I'm suffering, too."

Conrad, who had not spoken out publicly until the Greenville news conference, said he was unprepared for the onslaught of media attention he's received since the wreck Saturday at Spartanburg's Cleveland Park. Benji Easler was killed and 27 other passengers injured when the nearly 60-year-old train derailed on a bridge.

Standing by statements he'd made in an online trains forum about repairs he made to the train and its tracks last summer, Conrad also said he had absolute confidence in both when he was driving the engine.

"They were safe, and that train stopped very nicely," he said, of the brakes. "I'm always evaluating the track. ... If I had felt anything, anything at all that would have told me there's a problem, I would have stopped."

Police said Tuesday that Conrad told an officer accompanying him to a hospital, "I was going too (expletive) fast."

On Wednesday, Conrad's attorneys said their client was in shock when he made that statement and now feels mechanical error caused the crash.

A day earlier, county parks officials disputed several of Conrad's online assertions well before the crash that the train involved in the wreck hadn't run in years and that there had been "no appreciable" maintenance on the park's tracks since 2002.

Spartanburg County parks spokeswoman Nisha Patel said the train was running during summer 2009, was shelved for refurbishment — done by Conrad — in 2010 and that there had been regular inspections to ensure safety of the tracks.

Authorities have not said what caused the crash and say their investigation is continuing. Witnesses have said the train sped up during its third lap around the circuit.

Visitation for the boy was planned Wednesday evening at Corinth Baptist Church in Gaffney, with a funeral planned for Thursday.

On Wednesday, one of the families injured in the crash filed a lawsuit, accusing state and county officials of negligence.

"I think the family is shocked by what happened and what they've learned over the past few days and feel like they are ready to bring a lawsuit to try to bring light to what has happened," Spartanburg attorney Tom Killoren, who represents the family, said prior to the filing.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in circuit court in Spartanburg County, accuses the county, its parks commission and the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation of negligence in the crash.

Park employees should have warned passengers about potential dangers of the ride, while state officials should have properly ensured that it was safe before letting anyone on it, the lawsuit alleges.

Killoren represents Brooks Harris, who was with his wife and two children on the ride when it toppled off the bridge.

A spokeswoman for the county parks commission said she couldn't comment on the lawsuit. A state labor department representative did not immediately return a message.

On Monday, state officials fired the inspector who approved the ride for operation. They said he admitted falsifying a report for an inspection done March 16.

Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation chief Catherine Templeton said Donnie Carrigan could not have tested the Spartanburg ride because a battery in the train was dead, making it inoperable. Templeton also said the department was reviewing other facilities inspected.

McConaughey has usual swagger as 'Lincoln Lawyer'

including his prosecutor ex-wife and the mother of his daughter, played by Marisa Tomei — banters comfortably with biker gangs and generally weasels his way out of every tricky situation.

The swagger was far more charming when McConaughey played a lawyer 15 years ago in "A Time to Kill," which is still the best adaptation of a John Grisham novel. The main difference between this role and most others he has played since then is he manages to keep his shirt on, for the most part.

But, because this is a McConaughey movie, his character will have his comeuppance, and it comes in the form of a high-profile case. Beverly Hills real estate heir Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe) is accused in the rape and attempted murder of a prostitute. His expensively dressed mother (Frances Fisher) feels comfortable that Mick is the right man to defend her son, and not her company's esteemed, longtime legal counsel.

Besides, Louis insists he's innocent, so it should be no problem. But this pretty boy is, naturally, more dangerous than he looks. Despite the many twists and turns and double-crosses, Mick actually ends up learning nothing and has no arc — he's just as unctuous at the end as he was in the beginning. The only time he appears to lose control is when he gets hammered at the local watering hole where everyone else gathers to get hammered — and those moments seem so incongruent with who he is, they make no sense.

Among the strong but woefully underused supporting cast are William H. Macy as Mick's best friend, a private investigator; Bryan Cranston as a homicide detective whose screen time looks suspiciously truncated; and Michael Pena as a former client of Mick's whose case will become crucial later on. McConaughey and Phillippe have a decent back-and-forth in a couple of scenes — at least until Phillippe turns into a villainous cartoon character.

"The Lincoln Lawyer," a Lionsgate release, is rated R for some violence, sexual content and language. Running time: 119 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.

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Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:

G — General audiences. All ages admitted.

PG — Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

PG-13 — Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.

R — Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

NC-17 — No one under 17 admitted.

Owner plans to keep Obama name on gas stations

s declining approval ratings, Bazzi has no plans to remove the president’s name or “O” symbol from his gas station signs. Not surprisingly, Bazzi is reportedly a huge fan of Obama.

The owner said the logo and name haven’t hurt business, and he doesn’t fault Obama for the spike in gas prices, Detroit’s WDIV-TV reported.

“He’s doing all he can,” one customer said of the president. Another person reportedly said “electric cars” are necessary to help keep fuel costs low.

Read more stories from The Daily Caller

Santa’s Computer Gets into Trouble on Christmas Eve

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Ponting's future murky as official lashes axing talk

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting's future has been thrown into doubt with a report claiming he is set to quit while the Australian Cricketers' Association slammed talk he could be axed as "gutless."

His captaincy was called into question on Tuesday when an unnamed Cricket Australia official told the Sydney Morning Herald there was stiff opposition at boardroom level to him staying in the job.

The official, however, stressed that his position as a player was not in jeopardy.

But Britain's Daily Mail on Wednesday reported that Ponting plans to retire from international cricket altogether at the end of World Cup in India and finish his career at an English county.

"Sportsmail has learnt that the Australia captain, aiming to lead his side to a fourth World Cup triumph, is fed up trying to prove he should carry on into his 38th year," the paper said on its website.

"Ponting, Australia's most successful skipper, plans to bow out by lifting the World Cup a week on Saturday, but has been forced to admit that he will have to quit before he is fired by Cricket Australia.

"He will resign if his side are defeated by India in Thursday's quarter-final in Ahmedabad or when their quest for the biggest honour in one-day cricket is over," it added.

Earlier, Australian Cricketers' Association chief Paul Marsh lashed out at talk that Ponting could be axed.

He was not impressed with the anonymous comments, particularly coming on the eve of their crucial quarter-final in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

"Firstly, if a senior official is going to make such inflammatory comments about our national captain, and one of this country's greatest-ever players, how about having the guts to at least put your name to them," he told the Herald.

"Secondly, the team is days away from one of its biggest games in recent memory and now they have to deal with the speculation and discussion surrounding these irresponsible comments.

"I've been scratching my head all day trying to work out why someone associated with CA would make these comments two days before a World Cup quarter-final."

Ponting, who has been captain for nine years, was under pressure even before the World Cup, having earned the dubious distinction of becoming the only Australian skipper to fail to win the Ashes three times.

He has done himself no favours in India, taking a reprimand from the International Cricket Council after smashing a dressing-room TV in a fit of fury after being run out during Australia's win over Zimbabwe.

He was also criticised for angrily throwing the ball to the ground after colliding with teammate Steven Smith during their victory over Canada, and for failing to walk in Saturday's defeat to Pakistan.

But the team have rallied round the star batsman.

"From my point of view he's the best man for the job, and has been our leader for a long time. He's certainly got the full support of all the team. We love having him as our captain," said Michael Hussey.

Michael Clarke, who led Australia to an emphatic 6-1 one-day series victory over England after the Ashes reverse, is reportedly favourite to replace Ponting as captain.