Amtrak engineer: Projectiles hit train before deadly crash
PHILADELPHIA — The Amtrak engineer involved in a deadly 2015 crash in Philadelphia has sued the railroad, saying it failed to address reports that people were throwing projectiles at trains.
Brandon Bostian, 33, said he was left disoriented or unconscious when something struck his train before the May 2015 crash, which left eight people dead and more than 200 injured.
Federal investigators came to a different conclusion: that Bostian’s train wasn’t hit.
They believe Bostian was instead distracted over reports that a nearby train was struck and lost track of where he was, accelerating to 106 mph as he approached a 50 mph curve. The National Transportation Safety Board called Amtrak’s long failure to implement automatic speed control throughout the busy Northeast Corridor a contributing factor.