|
Amtrak train derails; all passengers accounted for
August 9, 1997Web posted at: 2:00 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT)
KINGMAN, Arizona (CNN) -- Busloads of wounded Amtrak passengers arrived at a hospital in northwestern Arizona hours after their train crashed on a buckled bridge and derailed. No one was killed, and authorities said all of the roughly 318 passengers and crew members on board had been accounted for.
The wounded ranged in age from young children to adults. Most were in good spirits, said Carla Malvick of the Kingman Regional Medical Center.
| Carla Malvick of the Kingman Regional Medical Center describes how the hospital is dealing with the large numbers of wounded. | |
|---|---|
|
230K/23 sec. AIFF or WAV sound |
"What we're seeing is what we would call the walking wounded -- primarily cuts, bruises, perhaps a broken bone or so," Malvick told CNN. Officials said the train was traveling at 90 mph when it hit the bridge, causing five cars to derail.
She said 10 school buses loaded with injured people arrived at the hospital for treatment and that the hospital had treated and released 25 others for minor injuries before the buses arrived.
Passengers with non-serious injuries were shuttled to a local junior high school, where they received food, housing and medical attention, she said.
| Amtrak derailment details -- Jody Schanaman, spokeswoman from Mohave County Sheriff's office in Arizona | |
|---|---|
|
|
Inclement weather may have contributed to the crash 224 K/15 sec. AIFF or WAV sound |
Malvick seemed to downplay earlier reports on the severity of the injuries. Mohave County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Jody Schanaman earlier told CNN that there were between 15 to 50 people with serious or critical injuries.
The train, The Southwest Chief, derailed 13 miles east of Kingman on a Burlington Northern-Santa Fe line. The train was traveling east from Los Angeles to Chicago.
| Jennifer McNally of the Mohave County Sheriff's Department | |
|---|---|
|
|
153K/15 sec. AIFF or WAV sound |
Officials conducted a car-to-car search of the train and found no fatalities, said Mohave County Sheriff Department spokeswoman Jennifer McNally. Wire services initially reported that eight people were killed in the crash but later reported that that information was incorrect.
Officials said heavy overnight rains might have caused the bridge to buckle.
Thunderstorms passed through during the night, causing flooding that blocked some roads in and around Kingman, a city of about 12,000 people. Two motorists had to be rescued by helicopter from a flooded wash near the city.
Because of the rainfall, the crash site was only accessible by four-wheel drive vehicles, Schanaman said.
Amtrak had yet to comment on the crash.
On October 9, 1995, an Amtrak train hit a section of vandalized track and toppled 30 feet from a trestle in the desert 55 miles southwest of Phoenix. A 41-year-old sleeping car attendant was killed and 78 other people were injured.
The most recent Amtrak derailment was January 13, when a train en route to Seattle from Chicago derailed in Wyoming, injuring eight passengers.
|
Families can call Amtrak at 800-523-9101 for information about their relatives or call the Mohave County Sheriff's Department at 520-750-0753. |
Related stories:
- Mystery witness sought in Amtrak derailment - October 14, 1995
- Amtrak wreck kills crew member - October 9, 1995
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser windowExternal sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
|
Sound off on our message boardsTell us what you think!You said it... |
|
© 1997 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.