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Lever & Ecker, PLLC May 13, 2015 General
A devastating train accident occurred in Philadelphia on Tuesday night resulting in at least seven fatalities and many serious injuries.
Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 188 was heading northbound from Washington D.C. towards New York City when it was suddenly derailed from the track around 9:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday night.
“It is an absolute disastrous mess,” said Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter after observing the scene of the accident late last night. “Never seen anything like this in my life.”
The accident occurred in the Port Richmond area of Philadelphia as the train rounded a sharp curve in the tracks.
There were 238 passengers along with 5 members of the crew aboard Amtrak Regional Train 188 when all seven cars derailed, sending passengers and luggage flying throughout the cabins.
According to reports, many of the passengers were New York City residents.
Emergency responders including police officers, firefighters and volunteers arrived at the scene of the accident to help victims off of the train.
So far, there have been seven confirmed fatalities in the incident. Additionally, it has been reported that more than 200 passengers were hospitalized for injuries with at least eight of the victims in critical condition.
The cause of the accident is currently being investigated by the F.B.I., National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Amtrak officials.
The train’s data recorder, or “black box,” was recovered and has been sent to an Amtrak Operations center in Delaware. The recorder should show useful data about the train at the time of the accident such as the speed of the train, any use of brakes or accelerationand video footage of the front of the train.
Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) say the train was traveling at least 100 mph when it derailed. According to the Federal Railroad Administration, the speed limit at the area in the tracks where the accident occurred is 50 mph to prevent derailment.
It has also been noted that the train crashed very close to the scene of one of the deadliest train crashes in US history, which occurred in 1943 and killed 79 people.
If you or a loved one have been injured in a train accident you may be entitled to compensation for the injuries that you have suffered.
However, it is important to contact an experienced personal injury accident lawyer immediately.
Contact Lever & Ecker, PLLC today for a free consultation on your legal options.
We serve clients involved in train accidents and other personal injury accidents throughout the Greater New York City Area.
Call (914) 288-9191 now to speak with a train accident lawyer in New York about your accident.
