"I advised them to get in front of it," she said. "I told them that since hundreds of people were already talking about it, it was going to come out. I told them it was the honorable thing to do."
After the conference call, she contacted Solow, Metrolink's chief executive, and "privately advised him to allow me to make a statement before the National Transportation Safety Board took control of the scene and shut us down."
As Solow confirmed Monday, he agreed, providing that she also point out that the investigation was continuing and the NTSB would make a final determination.
"I gave her that authorization, and it was wrong," he said. "My direction in this matter was premature."
Solow declined to elaborate on "a personnel matter now between an employer and an employee."
He said that he did not ask her to reconsider when she announced her resignation.
Tyrrell did not know at the time of Saturday's news conference that Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's staff had gotten word of what she was about to say and advised the mayor not to participate, according to Matt Szabo, his spokesman.
As Tyrrell spoke, Villaraigosa stood quietly nearby, but off-camera.
Champions of honesty in government hailed Tyrrell's statement and said it may help relatives of the crash victims find closure.
"Metrolink's acknowledgment was extremely unusual and a very, very refreshing change because this kind of acknowledgment moves everybody forward in looking for how they can begin to repair their families' lives and more importantly begin to address the causes behind the accident," said Kathay Feng, an attorney and executive director of California Common Cause.
"Too often when public agencies get into embattled mode and shut down communication, that hurts the public. They're not looking for solutions and you can see those problems recurring," said the state chief of the organization whose mission statement is "Holding power accountable."
Others still view Tyrrell's remarks as premature. Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe, a Metrolink board member, said Monday: "It would have been more appropriate to have said, 'It appears the Metrolink train ran a red light. How it happened remains to be determined by the National Transportation Board, which has taken control of the investigation.' "
But late Monday, the tides began to turn again, this time in her favor.
