UPDATE: 5/13/2015 at 2:59 p.m.
The Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 188 is said to have been going at a significantly faster speed then it should have been; 107 mph. Twice the 50 mph speed limit for the curve it was on at the time of derailment. National Transportation Safety Board official John Goglia said that a “black box” found could confirm or not confirm if speeding was the problem, which was possibly caused by the engineer or a mechanical issue.
The train’s conductor was injured in the crash, however, he did conductor receive medical treatment and then was said to have been giving a statement to Philadelphia police.
The death toll has now gone up to seven, and according to the news from Mayor Nutter, it may continue to rise spoke even more, because there are still some passengers not accounted for. One passenger includes, Rachel Jacobs, the CEO of the Philadelphia-based technology instructional company ApprenNet. According to CNN, Karl Okamoto, a friend and company co-founder, said that “Rachel left a meeting with the intent to board the train. As of (9:30 a.m.), no one has heard from her.”
For more details hit the jump.
UPDATE: 5/13/2015 at 9:45 a.m.
Last evening, the news of an Amtrak train from Philadelphia to New York City had derailed. Early Wednesday, May 13, Temple University Hospital confirmed six deaths as a result of injuries sustained during the derailment. NBC News was told that the number may go up because rescue workers were unable to get underneath the toppled cars.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter stated, “It is an absolute disastrous mess.” Nutter, who will release an official statement this afternoon adds, “Never seen anything like this in my life.” There were cars “completely overturned, on their side, ripped apart.”
Amtrak continues to release updates. They states that “On Wednesday, May 13, modified Amtrak service will be provided between Washington and Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Philadelphia, and New York and Boston. There will be no Amtrak service between New York and Philadelphia, but New Jersey Transit will honor Amtrak tickets between New York City and Trenton.”
If you think that any loved ones were on the train, call 1-800-523-9101 for information. In a released statement, Amtrak said that “we are deeply saddened by the loss of life.”
Tweet me if you have any information related to this story. @JaaiR_JR
ORIGINAL: 5/12/2015 at 10:42 p.m.
An Amtrak Train Derails on the way to New York City, from Washington, D.C., derailed in the Frankford section of Philadelphia around 9:30 Tuesday night. Currently, there are reports of 50 people hurt, as eight to ten of the trains cars left the tracks. Injuries range in severity, with some needing to be taken to the hospital on stretchers. The train, which now lays mangled on it’s side, was holding 240 passengers. The search for injured passengers continues.
“We were rolling along nice and smooth and then all of a sudden we were on our side,” said Don Kelleher, one of the passengers. Another passenger, Michael Black said, “All of a sudden it felt like the brakes were hit hard and then our car. We were third from the last, just slowly started going over to the side. I tried to just brace my arm against it and then just got off.”
Victims suffer from injuries ranging from broken upper and lower extremities, to minor cuts and bruises. Patrick Murphy, a former congressman from Pennsylvania was also on the train. He said, “It wobbled at first and then went off the tracks. There were some pretty banged-up people. One guy next to me was passed out. We kicked out the window in the top of the train car and helped get everyone out.” A team of investigators have been dispatched to find out what caused this accident.
Source: NBC Philly
