Eyes on engineer as probe into deadly train crash opens
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Investigators want to speak with Amtrak train driver who was going twice the allowed speed seconds before deadly derailment in Philadelphia
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A U.S. congressional panel has rejected a proposal to increase the budget for Amtrak -- the government-funded national passenger rail service. In fact, that Republican-controlled panel Wednesday approved deep spending cuts to Amtrak's budget, just hours after a deadly train crash in Philadelphia. That crash killed at least seven people and injured scores of others. Zlatica Hoke has more.
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Attorney: Brandon Bostian, Engineer Of Derailed Amtrak Train, Does ...
Huffington Post-1 hour ago
Investigators said they have not yet interviewed the train's engineer, identified by a city official asBrandon Bostian, to give him time to recover.
Amtrak train was controlled by engineer Brandon Bostian, of Queens ...
New York Daily News-31 minutes ago
New York Daily News-31 minutes ago
Amtrak engineer has no recollection of deadly derailment: attorney
New York's PIX11 / WPIX-TV-42 minutes ago
New York's PIX11 / WPIX-TV-42 minutes ago
Amtrak engineer Brandon Bostian doesn't remember crash, lawyer ...
In-Depth-San Jose Mercury News-30 minutes ago
In-Depth-San Jose Mercury News-30 minutes ago
Brandon Bostian was the engineer of the Amtrak train that crashed in Philadelphia, killing at least 7 and injuring more than 60. (LinkedIn)
Brandon Bostian was the driver of an Amtrak train that derailed Tuesday night in north Philadelphia after barreling toward a sharp turn at speeds greater than 100 miles per hour, more than double the speed limit for the area.
The crash killed at least 7 people and injured more than 200, officials said.
The 32-year-old engineer from New York survived the crash, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, as did the train’s conductor, who has not been named. Bostian was taken to the hospital and received 14 staples to close a laceration on his head, and was initially interviewed by police there, saying he didn’t remember much, according to ABC 6.
Bostian’s attorney told ABC News that his client suffered a concussion and has no recollection of the crash and “no explanation” for what happened. The attorney, Robert Goggis, of Philadelphia, told ABC that Bostian was “very distraught” to learn about the loss of life. He turned over his cell phone voluntarily and gave a blood sample.
Bostian remembers driving to the crash area, then later getting tossed around, coming to, finding his bag and calling 911 with his cell phone, his attorney told ABC.
The train, Northeast Regional 188, was headed from Washington, DC to New York carrying about 238 passengers and five crew members when it derailed in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia, the Associated Press reports. All seven cars derailed and many were overturned and ripped to shreds by the crash. The accident shut down the rail line in one of the busiest transit corridors in the country.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. He Has Worked as an Engineer for More Than 4 Years
Brandon Bostian (MySpace)
Brandon Bostian, 32, has been an engineer for Amtrak since December 2010, according to his LinkedIn profile. He previously worked for four years with the company as a conductor.
Bostian, originally from Memphis, graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2006 with a degree in business management and administration. He also worked as a cashier at Target while in college and previously lived in San Francisco.
While in San Francisco, Bostian worked for Caltrain, according to NBC Bay Area. The California commuter rail line was contracted with Amtrak at the time, the news station reports.
In college he was a member of the Acacia fraternity, which has ties to Free Masonry:
Acacia is an International Greek-system fraternity founded on its motto, human service. Acacia is comprised of the highest quality men on each campus, hoping to instill its values of Brotherhood, Scholarship, and Service into hearts of the college community.Acacia is not your typical college fraternity. It isn’t the oldest, the largest, or the most famous, but its heritage is distinct and record distinguished. Members of Acacia strive to be extraordinary and dispel the stereotypes that are often associated with fraternities. Every member, from pledge to active brother, is treated with the utmost respect. Our pledge program focuses on learning your way into the fraternity, not earning it by participating in degrading acts. Illegal activities and irresponsible behavior have no place in Acacia.
He was photographed by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 2007 while working as an assistant conductor on a train from St. Louis to Chicago.
2. Investigators Say the Train Was Traveling at a High Speed & the Engineer Slammed on the Brakes
The wreckage of the Amtrak crash that derailed in Philadelphia. (Getty)
Preliminary findings by the National Transportation Safety Board found that the Amtrak train was traveling at 106 mph prior to the crash, Robert Sumwalt, an official with the agency, said.
The crash occurred as the train entered a curve where the speed limit is 50 mph. The limit is 70 mph just prior to the curve.
Sumwalt said the engineer applied the train’s emergency brakes right before the crash. The last recorded speed was 102 mph.
The entire train, seven passenger cars and a locomotive, derailed at about 9:21 p.m. as it was traveling through the left-hand turn, Sumwalt said.
3. Bostian Declined to Give a Statement to Investigators & Has Hired an Attorney
(Getty)
Bostian declined to give a statement to investigators and left the Philadelphia Police Department’s East Detective’s Division with an attorney, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Despite the investigation being in its early stages, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter told CNN, “Clearly it was reckless in terms of the driving by the engineer. There’s no way in the world he should have been going that fast into the curve. I don’t know what was going on with him. I don’t know what was going on in the cab, but there’s really no excuse that can be offered, literally, unless he had a heart attack.”
Bostian’s attorney, Robert Goggin, told ABC his client is cooperating with authorities:
He was at the disposal of the police for six hours before I — or five hours — before I got on scene.Among other things, they indicated that they wanted to get a search warrant for his blood, which we consented to. He said, ‘You don’t need a search warrant, happy to give it to you.’ It had already been drawn at Einstein Hospital. They asked for his cell phone, which they had. [We] said, ‘Have it. Take all the information you want. You don’t need a search warrant for that either. We’ll give it to you.’ I’m assuming [authorities asked for the phone] because they want to see whether he was on the telephone at the time of the accident. So he’s cooperated, and not only that, he’s indicated that he would make himself available to the police if they need any more information.The main concern is just the overwhelming tragedy, the loss of life, the injuries to so many people. That’s really the concern right now. That’s his concern, that’s the union’s concern, I’m certain [it’s] Amtrak’s concern. It’s a tragedy on all fronts.
Goggin said his client was devastated by the crash.
“The television was on in the police district, and the constant count and recounting of the incident was being broadcast in his face all morning, and he was distraught,” Goggin said.
His client was “pretty beat up” after the crash, with a concussion, staples in his head, stitches to his leg and a knee injury. “What he looked was exhausted,” Goggin said.
He said his client didn’t have any previous medical issues. “He said he had none. He’s on no medications … He has no health issues to speak of and just has no explanation,” Goggin said.
In a recent similar crash, in the Bronx, New York, Metro-North engineer William Rockefeller was driving a train with an un-diagnosed sleep condition and “zoned out.” Like in the Philadelphia crash, Rockefeller’s train approached a sharp turn going at a high rate of speed and derailed. Four passengers were killed and dozens were injured in that 2013 derailment.
The case could offer somewhat of a glimpse into whether criminal charges could be filed against Bostian. Rockefeller has not been charged in the crash and though the case remains open, likely will not be. Driving a train while drowsy is not itself a crime, legal experts told DNAInfo.
“Falling asleep, by itself, is fundamentally not a crime, not even for a motorman driving a train,” a law enforcement source told the news website. “There was nothing mitigating here. He was not drunk, on the phone, or out partying the night before, and he went to sleep at a reasonable hour.”
(Facebook)
Bostian changed his Facebook profile picture to a black square at about 1:40 a.m. Wednesday, about four hours after the crash, but has not posted on the page.
Friends and family have posted on Bostian’s Facebook page about the crash.
One person said, “You know, for me, Amtrack is synonymous with Brandon, and as soon as I saw the story this morning, my immediate thoughts were about you and continue to be.”
An Amtrak engineer, wrote, “Hold your head up. What you know about yourself and those of us that know you is more important than anything being said in the media. Everyday we hold lives in our hands – 99.9% of the time it goes unappreciated and taken for granted. Yes, it happened to you but it could have been any one of us and you are not alone.”
Another Amtrak employee said, “Just wanted to say that we are all thinking about you, and you have our full support. Every day, you will get stronger and stronger. And just remember that your Amtrak family is here for you Brother.”
4. He Is Being Attacked on Twitter as a ‘Gay Activist’ & Diversity Hire
Brandon Bostian (MySpace)
Bostian is gay and was quoted in a 2012 story by The Midtown Gazette about the fight for gay marriage in New York. He said he moved to New York from San Francisco and had been active in the Proposition 8 fight.
“It’s kind of insulting to have to beg people for my right to marry,” he told the newspaper. “I feel like we shouldn’t even have to have this fight.”
GotNews, which first reported his name, called him a “gay activist,” and many Twitter users have reacted negatively to his sexuality, claiming he may have been a “diversity” hire by the government-funded Amtrak.
5. Five of the Seven Victims Have Been Identified So Far & Other Passengers Have Been Named as Missing
A Naval Academy midshipman was on his way home to New York on leave when he was killed in the Amtrak Port Richmond train derailment. His mother identified him as Justin Zemser. He was 20 years old.
Jim Gaines
An Associated Press staffer, Jim Gaines, was also killed. The AP reports the 48-year-old father of two was returning home to New Jersey from meetings in Washington. He began working at the AP in 1998 and was a key factor in developing the news agency’s video initiatives.
(Screengrab via ABC Philadelphia)
Also killed was Philadelphia tech CEO Rachel Jacobs. She is the mother of a 2-year-old. Her last contact was a text to her husband at 8:45 p.m. on the night of the crash, reports CBS Philadelphia.The train derailed just after 9 p.m.
Abid Gilani. (Wells Fargo)
A fourth victim, Abid Gilani, was an executive at Wells Fargo. He was returning from a funeral in Virginia, according to the New York Daily News.
Derrick Griffith
Derrick Griffith, the dean of students at Medgar Evers College at City University of New York also died in the crash, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Among the missing passengers is Bob Gildersleeve Jr., an executive at Ecolab, who was traveling from Baltimore to New York for meetings. His family was in Philadelphia on Wednesday and spoke with Philadelphia Daily News columnist Helen Ubinas:
Mayor Michael Nutter said some of the passengers on the train’s manifest remained missing, but would not give a number of how many.
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Story highlights
- Brandon Bostian suffered a concussion and has staples in his head, his attorney says
- He has worked for Amtrak for about nine years after earning a business management degree
- It's not clear why his train was traveling twice the speed limit
But exactly what he knows remains a mystery.
Bostian, the 32-year-old train engineer, has told police he could not remember his speed, a law enforcement source told CNN.
Initial data showed the train was barreling into a curve at more than 100 mph before it derailed Tuesday evening, the National Transportation Safety Board said. That's more than twice the 50-mph speed limit for the curve.
Detectives later tried to question Bostian again, a police official said, but he refused to be interviewed -- and instead left with his lawyer.
But his lawyer has said his client has told police everything he knew.
So what do we know about Bostian?
He's an Amtrak veteran
Bostian has been an Amtrak engineer since 2010, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before that, he was an Amtrak conductor for four years.
He graduated from the University of Missouri in 2006 with a degree in business administration and management.
He took to social media after the crash
Hours after the train derailed, killing at least seven people and injuring more than 200, Bostian changed his Facebook profile picture to a solid black box.
Dozens of friends offered their support.
"Hey Brandon. Just wanted to say that we are all thinking about you, and you have our full support," one person wrote. "Every day, you will get stronger and stronger. And just remember that your Amtrak family is here for you Brother."
He tried to stop the train just before it derailed
The engineer applied full emergency brakes "just moments" before the train derailed, the NTSB said.
The train was traveling about 106 mph as it headed into a curve, where the speed limit was only 50 mph, NTSB board member Robert Sumwalt said. The speed limit immediately before the curve was 80 mph.
But even if investigators determine excessive speed caused the crash, it might not be the engineer's fault. It's possible there may have been a mechanical issue, such as faulty brakes.
He can't remember exactly what happened, his attorney says
Bostian's attorney, Robert Goggin, told ABC's "Good Morning America" that his client "was beat up" in the crash.
"He has 15 staples in his head, stitches in one leg, the other knee is immobilized," Goggin said Thursday morning.
He added that Bostian suffered a concussion and doesn't remember why the train was going so fast.
"I believe as a result of the concussion, he has absolutely no recollection whatsoever of the events," Goggin told "Good Morning America." "I'm told that his memory is likely to return as the concussion symptoms subside."
Bostian's last memory before the crash was trying to slow down before the curve, his attorney said.
"Thereafter, he was knocked out -- thrown around just like all the other passengers in the train."
He seemed to love his job
After growing up in Memphis and attending college in Missouri, Bostian now lives in Queens, New York.
Neighbor Moresh Koya described Bostian as a responsible, nice guy who enjoyed his job.
"He liked it. He was happy working there," Koya said.
The St. Louis Post Dispatch photographed Bostian in 2007, when he was an Amtrak assistant conductor.
On Facebook, Bostian is a fan of Railroad Humor, a page "dedicated to the all men and women that make the railroad run and to those that have a sense of humor."
In September, he also posted about having to get up early for work.
"Not a morning person, but leaving the house at 6:30 a.m. does make for a neat scene on a comfortably brisk Sunday morning! (Had to get up early for work at 7:30 a.m. in Sunnyside Yard!)" Bostian wrote.
CNN's Laura Dolan and Greg Botelho contributed to this report.
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- Amtrak Engineer of Derailed Train, Brandon Bostian, Can't Remember Crash DetailsBrandon Bostian, the engineer driving the Amtrak train that derailed in Philadelphia Tuesday ...ABC News - 12 hours ago
- Amtrak Engineer "Has Absolutely No Recollection" of Deadly Crash, Lawyer SaysNBC 10 Philadelphia - 3 hours ago
- Brandon Bostian: What we know about the engineer in the Amtrak crashCNN - 2 hours ago
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As crews work to clear the wreckage, the investigation has increasingly shifted toward engineer Brandon Bostian
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Nato says Russia's nuclear rhetoric irresponsible
Financial Times Russia is irresponsibly stepping up its nuclear rhetoric in a bid to rattle the west, Nato's military chief has said, underlining the alliance's concern about Russianthreats to deploy nuclear weapons in Crimea. Warning that nuclear nations had to to ... A Tiny Crack in the Russian IceNew York Times US, NATO say Russia must fully implement Ukraine ceasefireReuters NATO Worried By Russia Crimea Build-UpDefenseNews.com Business Insider-Yahoo News all 502 news articles » |
NATO must pursue a long-term policy that would deter a resurgent Russia, Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Commander of U.S. European Command Philip Breedlove told reporters on Wednesday.
 CNN |
Kerry's pointless diplomacy in Russia
CNN (CNN) From the moment John Kerry's trip to Russian President Vladimir Putin's summer residence in Sochi on the Black Sea was announced, it was hard to see what the U.S. secretary of state hoped to achieve. Indeed, of the three objectives on Kerry's ... Kerry Arrives in Russia for Talks With Vladimir Putin on CooperationNew York Times Kerry, Russia say cease-fire in Ukraine must continueUSA TODAY US, Russia Talk Cooperation, but No BreakthroughsVoice of America Vox-Politico all 2,750 news articles » |
US, Russia Talk Cooperation, but No Breakthroughsby webdesk@voanews.com (Mary Alice Salinas)
The United States and Russia are vowing to continue discussions on how they can work more closely on critical issues around the globe. This follows a trip by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to Sochi, Russia, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after more than a year of escalating tensions. Mary Alice Salinas reports from the State Department.
US Senate Reaches Deal to Advance Obama Trade Agendaby webdesk@voanews.com (Michael Bowman)
One day after failing to move on President Barack Obama’s trade agenda, the U.S. Senate has reached an agreement setting up key votes to advance a mechanism for approving an ambitious 12-nation Pacific Rim free trade pact. Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced the agreement among Senate leaders and called it “a sensible way forward without killing the bill.” Under the plan, the chamber will vote Thursday on a measure to crack down on currency manipulation by China and other competitors, along with a trade preference bill to help developing countries. Then, the Senate will once again vote to begin debate on Trade Promotion Authority, which would subject trade accords to up-or-down votes with no amendments allowed. Tuesday, Democrats blocked consideration of TPA, demanding assurances that other trade-related proposals, like assistance for displaced American workers, be part of any trade package that emerges from the chamber. McConnell said the worker assistance provision would be merged with TPA, which is strongly backed by America’s business community and fiercely opposed by labor groups and environmentalists. The Senate’s top Democrat, Minority Leader Harry Reid, said he remains opposed to so-called “fast-track” legislation facilitating the approval of trade pacts, but praised the accord to move forward on the legislation. “This is a complex issue, one that deserves a full and robust debate,” said Reid. Another Democrat, Ron Wyden, who co-authored the TPA bill, described the effort as “trade done right.” “Vigorous trade enforcement has got to be in the forefront, not in the rear. The 1990s NAFTA trade playbook is being set aside,” said Wyden.
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 Reuters |
McCain rejects Pentagon push for more Russian rocket engines
Reuters McCain's comments reflect frustration among some lawmakers about the Pentagon's failure to halt purchases of the RD-180 Russian engines after Russia's annexation of Crimea. As SpaceX becomes a potential competitor to current monopoly launch ... Defense, intel chiefs ask Senate for more Russian rocketsRT all 16 news articles » |
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