An Amtrak train reportedly derailed this morning (Monday, Dec. 18, 2017) in Washington as it headed from Tacoma to Olympia, sending more than 75 people to local hospitals. The number of people killed has not yet been released.
This was the first day for the Amtrak Cascades high-speed train on its new Route W trains that run further inland parallel to Interstate 5 through Tacoma, Lakewood and Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Witnesses reported the train was going about 80 miles per hour when it derailed, sending several cars onto the highway below that crushed vehicles on the road. One train car remained hanging precariously on the track. People there called the scene “horrific.”
The Cascades Train 501 runs from Seattle, Washington, to Portland, Oregon, and bills itself as high-speed transport.
Medical personnel are on the scene and officials from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the cause of the crash.
Certainly these passengers need to know their legal rights, and Clifford Law Offices has represented a number of people involved in train crashes, particularly against Amtrak.
Partner Kevin Durkin served as co-lead counsel in a tragic case of an Amtrak crash that occurred in Bourbonnais, Illinois, representing a number of people who were injured or killed in the far west suburban crash in 1999. Founder and senior partner Robert A. Clifford and Mr. Durkin’s trial accomplishments include the highly publicized case of internationally acclaimed violinist, Rachel Barton, who was severely injured when a Chicago commuter train dragged her for more than 300 feet. After taking dozens of depositions and a pain-staking investigation for more than four years, the month-long trial resulted in a record $29.6 million verdict that later settled for $35 million.
If you have been injured or a family member involved in a tragic train crash needs legal information, contact Clifford Law Offices at 1-800-899-0410 or go to https://www.cliffordlaw.com/Contact-Us.shtml