This past May, a tragedy occurred in Philadelphia at the Frankford Junction curve when an Amtrak passenger train derailed while traveling over 100 mph, killing eight people and injuring over two hundred. Why the train was traveling at twice the speed it should have been is still under investigation.
The 32-year-old engineer named Brandon Bostian suffered a concussion as a result of the accident and now is unable to remember anything about the crash. It has been determined that he tried to use the emergency brake system, but it only slowed the train approximately 4 mph.
The National Transportation Safety Board stated that the train sped up from 70 mph to 102 mph in less than one minute before the accident and there are multiple questions as to why and how this happened.
Amtrak now faces many more questions from lawyers of the victims – such as why did the rail line not install safety upgrades that could have possibly stopped the train before it derailed and why weren’t more resources devoted to activate a new age safety system.
Only an in-depth investigation will be able to determine the reasons behind this horribly tragedy. Meanwhile, personal injury lawsuits for millions of dollars are being filed against Amtrak. Under the Amtrak Reform and Accountability Act, damages paid by the government to injured victims and families of the passengers killed is capped at $200 million; however, with 8 killed and over 200 injured, the total damages will no doubt exceed this amount.
Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the victims of this tragedy and their families. If you or one of your loved ones has been injured in an accident that is no fault of your own and you think we may be able to help, please contact our experienced Colorado personal injury and wrongful death attorney Mack Babcock for a free consultation.