Two people were killed and at least 31 were injured in an Amtrak accident reported Sunday morning in Chester, Pennsylvania.
Amtrak Train 89 was operating from New York City to Savannah, when it struck a backhoe that was on the tracks and partially derailed the lead engine south of Philadelphia, Kimberly Woods, a spokeswoman for Amtrak, said in a news release.
“There were approximately 341 passengers and 7 crew members on board,” Woods wrote. “Initial reports are that approximately 31 passengers are being transported to area hospitals, none with life-threatening injuries.”
All Amtrak service was suspended between Wilmington, Delaware, and Philadelphia, but no delays were reported from the Amtrak station on Peachtree Street in the Brookwood section of Atlanta, between Buckhead and Midtown.
Kevin Fuller, who has family on the train coming from North Carolina, spoke to Channel 2 Action News.
“It’s kind of scary to me,” Fuller said. “I’ve always had the fear of something like that happening. I’ve always had the fear and I hope and pray for the families involved.”
Ari Ne’eman, a disability rights activist heading to Washington after speaking at an event in New York, told the television station he was in the second car at the time of the crash.
The 28-year-old Maryland resident described what he saw.
“The car started shaking wildly, there was a smell of smoke, it looked like there was a small fire and then the window across from us blew out,” Ne’eman said.
Some of the passengers started to get off after the train stopped, but the conductor quickly stopped them. Officials started evacuating people to the rear of the train and then off and to a local church.
“It was a very frightening experience. I’m frankly very glad that I was not on the first car,” where there were injuries, he said. “The moment that the car stopped, I said Shema, a Jewish prayer … I was just so thankful that the train had come to a stop and we were OK.”
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