Dozens Still Hospitalized Following Amtrak Crash
Dozens of people remain hospitalized following Tuesday’s Amtrak crash in Philadelphia, hospital officials told ABC News.
This morning, 42 injured passengers remain hospitalized at five locations, with at least 10 listed in critical condition.
Seven people died in the crash, and hundreds were injured. The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Investigators said the train was traveling an estimated 106 mph before it crashed – well above the 50 mph speed limit for the area, according to the Federal Railroad Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
The train’s black box, known as an event recorder, had been recovered and undergoing analysis. The NTSB is also analyzing the train’s video cameras.
The train engineer – identified by his attorney as Brandon Bostian, 32, of Queens, New York – has given initial statements to police and is also being interview by federal accident investigators and other rail personnel, authorities said.
“He remembers driving the train,” his attorney, Robert Goggin, told ABC News in an exclusive interview. “He remembers going to that area generally, [but] has absolutely no recollection of the incident or anything unusual. He recalls — the next thing he recalls is being thrown around, coming to, finding his bag, getting his cell phone and dialing 911.”
Later, however, Bostian learned the details.
“The television was on in the police district, and the constant count and recounting of the incident was being broadcast in his face all morning, and he was distraught,” Goggin said.
NTSB board member Robert Sumwalt said investigators plan to document the site over the next few days and hope to interview crew members and passengers.
Amtrak said there were approximately 238 passengers and five crew members on board.
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