A 33-year-old resident of New Jersey who was working as a conductor on a derailed Amtrak train has filed a lawsuit against Amtrak for serious injuries he claims to have suffered in the fatal accident on May 12. The man was on a break to use the restroom when the incident occurred. His injuries from the crash include broken shoulders, a broken back and a broken neck.
The man is one of several people who were critically injured and is believed to be the most severely injured Amtrak worker. The expectation is that he will spend at least the next several weeks in the hospital. Overall, there were more than 200 people hurt and eight fatalities in the accident. He alleges negligence on the part of Amtrak and has requested an unspecified amount in damages.
The plaintiff is the second employee of the company to file suit. It is still unknown why the train’s speed increased to from 70 mph to 106 mph in the moments before the accident. Several causes have been suggested as the investigation of the train accident continues. While injured, the man still managed to tell passengers trying to escape the wreckage to avoid the live wires that were exposed in the crash’s aftermath.
When people travel, there is an inherent danger that an accident will occur. This could be due to a negligent driver, a negligent company, a failure to adhere to proper regulations, driver fatigue or some other circumstance. Those who have been hurt in a commercial vehicle accident may wish to speak with a personal injury attorney in order to determine the remedies that may be available.
Source: Reuters, ‘UPDATE 2-Conductor hurt in Philadelphia train derailment sues Amtrak,” Barbara Goldberg, May 19, 2015