On April 3, two railroad workers were killed when an Amtrak train struck a backhoe in Pennsylvania. The accident occurred just before 8 a.m.
According to a representative of the National Transportation Safety Board, an Amtrak train carrying 341 passengers and seven crew members struck a backhoe that was on railroad tracks near 6th Street and Booth Street in Chester. Media reports indicate that a 61-year-old man from Wilmington, Delaware, was operating the backhoe when his 59-year-old supervisor, a Lincoln University resident, attempted to save him. The men, who were both Amtrak employees, died in the collision. The NTSB would not say if the backhoe was supposed to be on the tracks, but a newspaper reported that a miscommunication may have occurred because of a shift change. The train was traveling at 106 mph in a 110 mph zone.
The train was able to come to a stop near 9th Street and Langley Street, and around 30 passengers were transported to area hospitals for treatment. The train’s engineer was also injured in the crash. The NTSB continues to investigate the accident. In May 2015, an Amtrak train derailed in Philadelphia, killing eight passengers and injuring more than 200 others.
The surviving family members of workers who have been killed on the job may want to meet with an attorney to learn what their rights may be. Workers’ compensation death benefits may be available to help defray some of the financial losses resulting from the death of a breadwinner even if the decedent’s negligence contributed to the accident.
Source: NJ.com, “2 Workers Killed in Deadly Amtrak Crash in Pa. Identified,” Erin O’Neill, April 4, 2016