Amtrak Train Was Going At Twice The Speed Limit Before Philadelphia Crash

Amtrak Train Was Going At Twice The Speed Limit Before Philadelphia Crash

An Amtrak train that derailed in Philadelphia on Tuesday night had been going at least 100 mph before the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board announced on Wednesday– more than twice the legal speed limit.

Sources familiar with the investigation of the crash told The Wall Street Journal that the train hit a sharp curve and failed to slow down. As NBC News reported, the speed limit on the curve itself was 50 mph, while the limit on the track preceding the curve was 70 mph — still far below the train’s apparent speed.

At least 7 people were killed and at least 200 were injured after the train overturned. Investigators couldn’t immediately determine the cause of the crash.

Speeding has been the cause of several major train crashes in recent years. In July 2013, 79 people were killed after a train moving at 119 mph derailed in Spain. In December 2013, a Metro-North train crashed in New York City after a driver failed to slow down the train while rounding a curve. Four people were killed in that incident, and dozens more were hurt.

On Wednesday, authorities recovered a black box that they hoped would provide more insight about the Philadelphia crash. Human error and technical issues have both been cited as possible factors.

“You have a lot of questions, we have a lot of questions,” Robert Sumwalt of the National Transportation Safety Board said during a press conference on Wednesday. “We intend to answer many of those questions in the next 24 to 48 hours.”

Amtrak Regional Train 188 was heading to New York City from Washington, D.C.

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Republished by the Law Office of Scott A. Ferris, P.A.