On December 18, 2017, an Amtrak train derailed and injured over 100 people and killed three people in Washington state. Thirteen of the fourteen train cars jumped the track. The train reportedly was going more than twice the speed limit at the time of the derailment while on its Seattle to Portland route. The train came out of a curve and reached a bridge over a busy highway as it ran off the track and landed on the highway.
Similarly, back in May 2015, another Amtrak train derailed in Philadelphia killing eight people and injuring many others. That train was traveling well over the speed limit at 100 miles per hour when it entered a curve.
Who is to blame for these fatal train accidents? It has been reported that in Washington, the Amtrak train that derailed is owned by Washington State and Oregon’s Department of Transportation. The train tracks are owned by Sound Transit. The tracks were previously used occasionally for freight trains only. City leaders near the derailment had voiced concerns about turning the less frequently used freight line into a fast-moving passenger line. Even though the tracks were upgraded, officials felt the modifications were insufficient to avoid fatalities.
In Washington, Amtrak is reportedly responsible for the train’s service and operation. Experts feel the derailments could have been prevented. Positive Train Control (PTC) systems can prevent these derailments by automatically slowing down the trains. PTC safety systems are currently installed in both Philadelphia and Washington state, but they have not been activated yet.
In 2008 after a Los Angeles train crash, Congress mandated that the PTC systems be installed by the end of 2015; however, arguments were made to extend the deadline to 2020. After the Philadelphia derailment, where the PTC system was not installed at the time of that incident, the deadline was agreed upon to be extended only to the end of 2018 with the ability to later extend it to 2020.
Some believe that the extended deadline was due to Amtrak’s lobbyist fighting to save money. It was reported that the two members of Congress behind the extension of the PTC safety system deadline received the most political campaign contributions from the railroad industry in 2016. If they stuck with the original deadline, the PTC safety system could have prevented the Washington derailment. Instead, passengers will go another year without the preventative PTC safety system in place and activated.
In October of 2016, Amtrak reportedly agreed to pay $265 million in settlement for the Philadelphia derailment. There were over 100 plaintiffs in that case. It has been reported that several survivors of the Washington derailment have already put Amtrak on notice that they plan to file a lawsuit. Nonetheless, the Washington governor has announced that Amtrak is committed to paying the cost of the derailment. This would include medical bills of those injured and repairing the tracks and road.
If you, a family member or friend has suffered personal injuries as a result of train accident contact Washington & Washington and speak with an attorney for free to determine if you may have a case to further investigate.