A high-speed Amtrak train on its inaugural rush hour run derailed near Seattle Monday, leaving at least three people dead, dozens of passengers injured and several train cars dangling from an overpass above a busy interstate.
About 70 people were injured, 10 seriously, state police said. Miraculously, no one on the ground was killed when the Amtrak Cascades line jumped the track in Dupont, Wash., around 7:33 a.m. local time — even though five vehicles and two semi-trucks were hit on the road below.
The passenger train derailed about 50 miles south of Seattle as it was making its first run from that city to Portland, Ore., as part of a faster service that local authorities had warned could be dangerous.
The train was going 80 mph as it approached the overpass — which was designed for 30 mph, according to an event data recorder reviewed by NTSB investigators. It was too early to tell why the train was going so fast and if speeding was a factor, officials said. – READ MORE
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