DUPONT, WASHINGTON (December 18, 2017) – An Amtrak train derailed on Monday morning, leaving a train car dangling over Interstate 5, according to an article by CBSNews. (map)
Amtrak train 501 left Tacoma just before 8:00 am, carrying many commuters to work on a brand new schedule that included round trips to Seattle and Portland. As the train approached an overpass going over Interstate 5 near Mounts Road, the train abruptly derailed. Two cars left the overpass entirely and tumbled down onto the freeway, and it appears another was left dangling. 7 cars total derailed after the accident.
There have been confirmed fatalities and injuries. At least 77 people are reportedly en route to hospitals, with 4 classified as trauma patients. The number of victims that suffered fatal injuries is unknown at this time.. A passenger that was on the train that was able to escape says the emergency doors ceased to function, and passengers were forced to kick out windows in order to exit the train. Several cars on the freeway were also hit by the falling train car, but luckily no motorists were killed. One of the involved cars appeared to be a green Kia Soul.
Updates are still continuing to be released at this time, and HWG Law will update this article as more information is released. The accident is under thorough investigation at this time.
This is not the first major derailment incident for Amtrak. In 2015 an Amtrak train en route to New York City from Washington D.C. derailed in Philadelphia, killing 8 people and injuring over 200 people. It was the second fatal accident at the site.
Monday’s accident happened on the very first voyage of the new train service, which was supposedly implemented after upgrades to Tacoma Station and to the tracks. The particular curve where the train derailed was reportedly able to handle speeds of up to 79 mph. It is unknown at this time how fast the train was traveling at the time of the accident.
“The thoughts and prayers of everyone at HWG Law is with those involved in this horrible accident,” said the attorneys from HWG Law Firm, a personal injury and wrongful death law firm that deals with train accidents. HWG Law Firm recently recovered a confidential high figure settlement for a client involved in a train derailment.
