From coast to coast, recent commuter rail crashes
The derailment of an Amtrak train in Philadelphia on Tuesday, which killed at least seven passengers and injured more than 200, is the latest commuter train accident in the Northeast. In 1943 – before Amtrak was established – a passenger train crashed in the Philadelphia area, killing 79 people as it moved at 65 miles per hour, becoming one of the deadliest train crashes in U.S. history.
Here’s a look at some more recent passenger train accidents:
Feb. 24, 2015:
A Metrolink commuter train struck a truck parked on the tracks in Oxnard. Twenty-eight passengers were injured; most suffered broken limbs. The train engineer died from injuries sustained in the crash. Last year, Metrolink became the first commuter service in the nation to roll out a sophisticated collision-avoidance system designed to overcome human error.
Feb. 3, 2015:
Five passengers were killed when a Metro-North commuter train plowed into a Jeep Grand Cherokee parked on the tracks north of New York City. Dozens of passengers were injured and the vehicle's driver also died in the crash.
Oct. 28, 2014:
A Chicago-bound Amtrak train near Reynolds, Ind., collided with a semi-truck, injuring nearly two dozen passengers. The semi-truck’s trailer was filled with powdered cement when the vehicle got stuck on the crossing in the rural community about 110 miles south of Chicago.
Dec. 1, 2013:
As a Metro-North commuter train rounded a riverside curve in the Bronx, the train derailed, toppling onto its side and killing four people and injuring more than 60. The train was traveling from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., to Manhattan.
Sept. 22, 1993:
Amtrak’s deadliest crash occurred near Mobile, Ala., when a train careened off a bridge and fell into a bayou below. Forty-seven people were killed.
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