Reports: Amtrak Train Was Going 100MPH at Curve

That's twice the limit; death toll rises to 7 in Philadelphia
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted May 13, 2015 12:48 PM CDT
Updated May 13, 2015 3:20 PM CDT
Reports: Amtrak Train Was Going 100MPH at Curve
In this aerial photo, emergency personnel work at the scene of the train wreck.   (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

The Amtrak train that derailed in Philadelphia last night was going more than 100mph—twice the speed limit—as it derailed while entering a curve, report the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Wall Street Journal. Each independently cites anonymous sources familiar with the investigation. The Inquirer adds that the train's unidentified engineer declined to give a statement to police while accompanied by an attorney. The conductor, meanwhile, remains hospitalized with a fractured skull. The development comes as the death toll rose to seven, with another 10 people in critical condition, reports the AP.

On the brighter side, a Temple University Hospital official says most of the 23 derailment patients are "either stable or better," and most have rib fractures, CNN reports. Some people on the passenger manifest remain unaccounted for, but authorities say that could be because they weren't aboard in the first place. The train's "black box" data recorder has been recovered, but officials haven't publicly revealed what they've learned. The Philly newspaper notes that a system designed to automatically slow speeding trains is due to be in place in the Philadelphia area of the Northeast Corridor later this year. (More Amtrak stories.)

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