Another Amtrak Train Derailment: Multiple Fatalities & Injuries Reported In Washington State

December 18, 2017:  Multiple deaths have been reported in Amtrak train derailment while traveling at nearly 80 MPH over Washington state highway.The cause of the train derailment is currenlty under investigation. President Trump has suggested in a tweet that the cause has something to do with infrastructure issues, although others are reporting that something may have been on the tracks or a lack of accident avoidance technology.  It will take some time before the NTSB issues a report on the cause of the accident, which typically involves many factors (i.e. even if there was something on the tracks, why wasn't it detected?). Our train accident lawyers will be following the investigation, similar to the Amtrak accident in Washington DC, the Costa Concordia accident off Port Canaveral, the Ethan Allen transit disaster and other mass accidents where our attorneys have represented clients. 

The Amtrak passenger train was on its inaugural trip traveling at near maximum speed along a new service route when it derailed Monday morning near Dupont, Washington.  Multiple train cars left the tracks, some spilling over onto Interstate 5.  Authorities are confirming multiple fatalities and injuries. To stay informed about the cause of the accident, the NTSB investigation and legal issues of negligence, product liability, class actions and possible recklessness by Amtrak, the train manufacturer, the maintenance crew and companies in charge of the train tracks, or to contact a train accident attorney, click here. 

It appears that the train was not using Positive Train Control technology which has led to several other Amtrak accidents in the past. Whether the lack of PTC is a cause or contributing factor in the accident is an issue out attorneys will be looking into very closely. 

For more information about this latest Amtrak train accident and information on the investigation into the cause of the derailment, see below:

• Multiple deaths reported in Amtrak train derailment over ... - CNN.com - An Amtrak passenger train on its inaugural trip on a new service route derailed Monday morning near Dupont, Washington, spilling 13 cars off an Interstate 5 overpass ...

• Live updates: Amtrak train derails in Washington - CNN - CNN.com - An Amtrak train in Washington state derailed on Monday morning. Follow here for the latest.

• Amtrak derailment: Train crashes near Tacoma, Washington, fatalities ...  - The National Transportation Safety Board said Monday afternoon that federal investigators were on their way to the site, about 20 miles south of Tacoma. It is not clear what caused the crash. But an Amtrakofficial said the train was not using a technology called positive train control, which can prevent ...

• Positive Train Control (PTC) is an advanced system designed to automatically stop a train before certain accidents occur. In particular, PTC is designed to prevent:

  • Derailments caused by excessive train speed
  • Train movements through misaligned track switches
  • Unauthorized train entry into work zones.

   

• No positive train control on train that derailed over I-5 The last serious train accident in the United States took place May 12, 2015, when the Amtrak 188 connecting Washington to New York with 243 people on board derailed at the entrance of a curve while the train was launched at 100 miles per hour, more than twice the speed allowed. The accident killed eight people and injured more than 200.

• Amtrak crash: Why positive train control is a negative for many ...  That technology, positive train control (PTC), has been among the most sought-after transportation improvements in the nation since the 1990s. After the 2008 Metrolink crash in Chatsworth that killed 25 people -- a tragedy blamed on the distracted Metrolink engineer who had been texting while on duty ...

Contact us to receive more information about the cause and investigation into this latest Amtrak tragedy.