CHESTER, Pa. — An Amtrak passenger train was going 106 mph in a 110 mph zone when it struck a backhoe sitting on the same track, killing the backhoe operator and a track supervisor, federal and local officials said Monday.
The engineer applied the emergency brakes five seconds before impact, the National Transportation Safety Board said late Monday. No one on board was killed, although more than 30 passengers were injured.
Videos showed construction equipment on the track and a contractor’s equipment on an adjacent track before the crash Sunday morning, NTSB investigator Ryan Frigo said. He could not comment on who was authorized to be there, but said work crews were scheduled to be interviewed today
“There is a large amount of data to be looked at,” Frigo added.
Amtrak trains on the Northeast Corridor resumed regular service on Monday.
The train was heading from New York to Savannah, Ga., at about 8 a.m. Sunday when it hit a piece of equipment in Chester, about 15 miles outside of Philadelphia. The impact derailed the lead engine of the train, which was carrying more than 300 passengers and seven crew members. More than 30 passengers were sent to hospitals with injuries that weren’t considered life-threatening, officials said.
The Delaware County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victims as backhoe operator Joseph Carter Jr., 61, of Wilmington, Del., and Peter Adamovich, 59, of Lincoln University, Pa. They died of blunt force trauma.
The union representing Carter said a total of three workers have now been killed on the job on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor since March 1. And that raises questions about worker safety, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees said.
Amtrak introduced a set of new safety protocols effective March 15.
