Amtrak Train 188 Derailed In Philadelphia

Amtrak Train 188 Derailed In Philadelphia

An Amtrak train traveling from Washington D.C. to New York was derailed Tuesday night in Philadelphia. The train was carrying 238 passengers and 5 crewmembers, at this point seven are reported to have died in the crash. At least 200 were injured and had to be treated for their injuries. According to CNN, seven of the train’s cars as well as the engine were derailed.

No definitive answer has been given yet as to what may have caused the train to crash. According to the National Transportation Safety Board’s Twitter account, “Preliminary data shows Amtrak train speed exceeded 100 mph prior to derailment. Further calibrations are being conducted.” If this is true, this would mean that the train was going at least twice as fast as it should have been for the curve it was in reported Yahoo! News.

Many witnesses report that the crash got progressively worse, sending objects flying, throwing people around into overhead spaces and loosening the seats in the cars. Local hospitals reported that there were many broken ribs. People were pinned by their trays and many experienced head injuries.

As of right now two of the people who died have been identified, one was an employee of the Associated Press, Jim Gaines. Gaines was 48 years old and a father of two, as well as an award-winning video software architect.The other has been identified as Justin Zemser, a 20-year-old Naval Academy midshipman, reported Yahoo! News.

The NTSB will be holding a briefing at 5 p.m. ET today near the accident site in Philadelphia.