UPDATE: Eight Dead in Amtrak Train Derailment in Philadelphia

An Amtrak train traveling through the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia derailed late Tuesday night, leaving at least eight people dead and over one hundred and forty injured, with twenty five remaining hospitalized and eight in critical condition.  Officials have not determined the cause of the derailment, but they believe it was an accident due to the location in a sharp curve of the tracks.  A team from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived early Wednesday morning to investigate the crash, including the train’s black box which will give the team crucial information about the train’s speed before the accident.

Initial accounts seem to indicate that speed played a factor in the derailment, though an official cause has not been announced.  A number of the survivors have stated that they felt the train start to tip to the right before it came off the tracks.  In fact, it occurred in almost the exact same location of another deadly derailment on September 6, 1943.  In that accident, seventy-nine passengers were killed and one hundred and seventeen were injured

If you or your family members are injured in a horrific train accident such as this one, it is important that you immediately hire an experienced injury lawyer to represent you.  There are certainly plenty of choices out there, but the decision is critical and many times determines whether your family is made whole for their injuries and emotional distress.  The proven injury attorneys at Fisher Injury Lawyers have the experience, knowledge, and resources to immediately begin an exhaustive and full-scale investigation into train derailments to discover every possible claim for recovery for our clients.  In fact, attorney-engineer Chris J. Day holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering and is an active member in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.  He has the knowledge and training to understand and discuss complex issues with investigating experts that few other attorneys in the country possess.

The attorneys, engineers, and experts with Fisher Injury Lawyers are ready to assist your family in your time of need.  Call or email us at any time.

UPDATE:  Initial date from the train’s black box shows that the train entered the curve at 106 miles per hour, more than double the 50 miles per hour speed limit for the curve (and well above the 80 mile per hour speed limit of the straight portion of the track immediately before it).  Investigators also have recovered a video showing the train accelerating rapidly shortly before the accident.

In the wake of the crash, many are questioning why Amtrak had not installed a speed control system called positive train control that could have overridden the excessive speed and slowed the train down to appropriate speeds.  Amtrak CEO Joe Boardman even admitted that such a system would have prevented this accident.

This will clearly be a complicated investigation, and any lawsuits that arise from it will be similarly difficult and technical.  However, the team at Fisher Injury Lawyers has the skill and experience in high profile, large scale accidents that few firms in the country possess.  Give them a call today.

Chris J. Day, Attorney-Engineer

Posted by Chris J. Day, Accident Attorney-Engineer

Mass Transit Accident Attorneys

Source:  CNBC, CNN, Washington Post