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December 3, 2013 5:46 pm - NewsBehavingBadly.com

William Rockefeller, Jr. the Metro-North engineer at the helm when his train crashed, said, according to law enforcement officials, “I was in a daze.I don’t know what I was thinking about and the next thing I know I was hitting the brakes.”

As the investigation continued Tuesday, National Transit Safety Board officials said that there was “every indication” Rockefeller was properly rested that day on the job.

Regardless of what is determined in this case, being “consciously asleep” without realizing it is both possible and common, especially in our sleep-strapped society, experts told the Daily News.

In what’s known as microsleep, parts of the brain “go offline” for periods of a few seconds to 30 seconds, while the rest of the brain stays awake…

In what’s known as microsleep, parts of the brain “go offline” for periods of a few seconds to 30 seconds, while the rest of the brain stays awake…

“Generally what happens is someone will wake up out of a daze and be surprised to find themselves in a certain situation,” [clinical psychologist Matthew] Ebben said. Sleep deprivation may increase your chances of having the episodes, though it “doesn’t affect everyone the same way,” Ebben said.

Alan