New Details Emerge in Fatal Philadelphia Amtrak Crash

On Tuesday evening – May 12th – an Amtrak train traveling from Washington, D.C. to New York derailed and crashed in northeast Pennsylvania – killing and injuring numerous passengers. Since the tragic incident took place, local and federal officials have been working tirelessly to help victims and crews sift through the wreckage. Investigators are also working to determine what caused the fatal accident, and whether it could have been prevented.

Here’s what we know about the Amtrak crash so far:

• 8 victims have died in the crash and more than 150 passengers were evaluated and treated for injuries at local hospitals. After the 8th victim was found Thursday morning, authorities stated that all passengers have been accounted for.
• Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 188 had 238 passengers and 5 crew members on board at the time of the crash – shortly after 9:00 pm on Tuesday. The accident occurred on the Northeast corridor in Philadelphia’s Port Richmond neighborhood – one of the busiest stretches of railway in the nation.
• Based on a preliminary review of the train’s black box data recorder, investigators have reported that the train was traveling over 100 mph when approaching the curve where it derailed. The speed limit for that curve is 50 mph.
• National Transportation Safety Board investigators have not yet determined a definitive cause of the accident. They are continuing to investigate why the train was traveling so fast and are exploring the possibilities of human performance and mechanical failures.

While investigations into Tuesday’s fatal crash are still ongoing, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter has been quick to call the train engineer’s actions reckless. If investigators determine the same, victims and families will have the right to pursue justice and compensation for their losses by filing personal injury or wrongful death claims.

At Suzuki Law Offices, our legal team knows this is a difficult time for the many victims and families who suffered harm as a result of the crash. We believe all affected by this incident have the right to know why it happened – and if it could or should have been prevented.