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A lawsuit brought by victims of a deadly commuter rail crash accuses an engineer’s employer of ignoring complaints that the engineer regularly used his cellphone while operating trains.

Federal investigators say the engineer, Robert Sanchez, sent a text message 22 seconds before his train collided with a Union Pacific freight train on Sept. 12, killing 25 and injuring more than 130.

A Connex employee said he called managers of the railroad about Sanchez’s constant cellphone use about two weeks before the disaster.

The lawsuit also claims that, some months before the crash, a Connex inspector found Sanchez’s cellphone turned on, which violated company rules against engineers using the devices while on duty.

Sanchez is among those who died in the crash.

Attorneys filed an amended lawsuit on behalf of 23 plaintiffs, including passengers who were injured or killed and their spouses.

Tags: cellphones, injured, killed, rail crash, texting