The recent Philadelphia Amtrak crash that killed eight and injured more than 200 has prompted the train company to start installing inward facing cameras on its passenger locomotives.
To begin with, Amtrak will install the cameras on trains that travel the New York, Washington, Philadelphia and Boston routes. However, Amtrak officials say the goal is to get inward cameras on every train.
Inward train cameras would have been particularly helpful in the Amtrak crash a few weeks ago as investigators are still not sure exactly what caused the derailment of the train, and engineer Brandon Bostian claims to have no memory of the crash.
The outward video data along with the data recorder that monitors the actions taken by the engineer found that the Amtrak train was traveling in excess of 100 MPH on a 50 MPH curve right before the derailment. The data recorder also showed that the engineer applied full brakes right before the derailment.
With a lack of engineer testimony, investigators believe inward facing cameras would have been helpful to see exactly what was going on inside the cab before the crash.
Amtrak Derailment Overview
On May 12, Amtrak 188, carrying 238 passengers from Washington D.C. to New York City, derailed in a Philadelphia neighborhood. It is still unknown why the train was traveling at twice the speed limit around the curved tracks but a National Transportation Safety Board member states that the train would have only accelerated if the engineer pushed the throttle.
Engineer Bostian was only on the Washington to New York route for a few weeks before the crash but was no stranger to the run. For the past three years, Bostian covered the northeast corridor and at times would have passed through that part of Philadelphia track.
Bostian is expected to give his testimony to the NTSB at a later date but still claims to have no memory of the crash that knocked him unconscious.
Since the crash, the Federal Railway Administration instructed Amtrak to add additional speed limit signs near tracks. Amtrak has also incorporated a way to automatically slow a train if it’s traveling at an excessive speed around that Philadelphia curve.
Amtrak Crash Lawsuits
Several lawsuits have already been filed by passengers who were seriously injured in the Amtrak derailment. The train’s conductor is suing for negligence after suffering from a broken neck, back and both shoulders. He remains in critical condition.
An off-duty Amtrak employee who was riding the train for free is seeking $600,000 in damages for suffering a brain injury, lacerations and neurological injuries.
Four other passengers have also filed lawsuits and dozens more are expected to.
Legal experts predict that in medical fees alone the Amtrak crash could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and the federal cap on railroad accidents might not be enough. In 1997, Congress capped the maximum rail-accident damages to $200 million in an effort to help struggling Amtrak.
Obtain a Free Amtrak Train Crash Lawsuit Evaluation
If you or a loved one were injured or killed during the May 12, 2015 Amtrak derailment, you may have a legal claim.
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