Another Amtrak Accident Derailment Occurs Less Then A Year After 6 Cars Derailed In Philadelphia.
Investigators are looking into whether an earlier unreported auto accident may be the cause of the most recent Amtrak accident. Early Monday an Amtrack tain traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago derailed in Kansas early Monday morning. News reports indicated that 32 people have been injured and taken to area hospitals with reports of some being airlifted in critical condition.
Authorities have roped off a section of the tracks where the Amtrak accident occurred with crime scene tape . The area to be examined contains tire tracks that lead to the train tracks. Officials are looking into whether there was damage done earlier to the rails prior to the Amtrak crash, but do not think the damage was done intentionally.
A government official believed to be on scene, reported that an engineer hit the emergency break after he noticed there was a significant bend in the rail ahead. The Amtrak Southwest Chief Train 4 is believed to have been traveling at a speed of 75 mph and carrying about 131 passengers and 14 crew members. It was traveling west from Los Angeles to Chicago when it derailed just 20 miles outside of Dodge City in Kansas. The derailment occurred on a track owned and maintained by BNSF Railway. According to Amtrak, BNSF Railway is a freight railroad network. The train was carrying about 131 passengers and a crew of 14. According to the Gray County Sheriff’s Department, the Amtrak train was traveling at a currently unknown speed when seven of the nine train cars derailed.
This Amtrak accident comes just less then a year after an Amtrak train derailed in Philadelphia killing 8 and injuring over 200 passengers. As the investigation continues into the Philadelphia crash it was recently reported by ABC news that the operator of the Amtrak train that was traveling over 100 mph recalled thinking to himself :Okay well this it is, I’m going over.” The new documents came after the operator initially told investigators he could not recall the events. According to ABC news and documents released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Amtrak operator further told investigators that he recalled “holding onto the controls tightly” as the train rounded a curve. The train derailed causing 6 of the cars to flip over.
Investigators are thankful that no one was killed in this most recent Amtrak accident.
[http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/latest-amtrak-train-derails-southwest-kansas-37626088]
]http://abcnews.go.com/US/investigators-release-evidence-deadly-amtrak-derailment/story?id=36640513]