At least five people were killed and dozens injured when an Amtrak train headed to New York City from Washington derailed in Philadelphia last night, with up to 10 cars rolling over.
Amtrak said the train was carrying 238 passengers and five crew members. The cause of the crash was not immediately known. According to eyewitnesses who were on board the train that derailed around 9:45 p.m, all they heard was a loud crash and people flew up in the air.
An Associated Press manager who was on the train said he was watching Netflix when the train started to decelerate, like someone had slammed the brake. Everything started to shake and people’s stuff started flying everywhere. He says it all happened “in a flash second.” Another passenger urged
them to escape from the back of his car, which he did. He saw passengers trying to escape through the windows of cars tipped on their side.
Patrick Murphy, a former congressman from Pennsylvania’s 8th District and an Iraq War veteran, was also on the train. He told O’ Donnell that he was in the cafe car when the train jolted.
“It wobbled at first and then went off the tracks. There were some pretty banged-up people. One guy next to me was passed out. We kicked out the window in the top of the train car and helped get everyone out,” he said.
Some of the injured — many with bloodied hands and faces — were injured to the point where they could not move.