Crime & Safety

Details Coming In Amtrak Crash Investigation That Killed Midshipman

Reports and evidence in the May 2015 train derailment in Philadelphia should be released Monday. Justin Zemser was one of eight killed.

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ANNAPOLIS, MD — More than 2,000 pages of reports and evidence that will offer insight into last year’s fatal Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia – which killed a sophomore from the U.S. Naval Academy -- are expected to be released by federal investigators Monday.

The National Transportation Safety Board is set to open the docket on the crash files, making public interview transcripts with the engineer, first responders and crew members, of Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 188, as well as black box data, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

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The information will not offer a conclusion behind the cause of the derailment or why the train was traveling well beyond the speed limit at the time it crashed, killing eight people and injuring hundreds.

Justin Zemser, 20, Rockaway Beach, NY, was returning home on leave from the U.S. Naval Academy at the time of the crash, his mother told NBC 4 New York. He was an only child.

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Classmates and football team members recalled Zemser as a smart student with goals to one day become an elite Navy Seal, a selfless man with energy who urged others to “enjoy this incredible life.”

The English major and academic honor student was a wide receiver for the Navy Sprint football team, the Jewish Midshipman Club and the Semper Fi Society.

SEE ALSO: ‘Greatest Man We Have Ever Known’ Midshipman Called by Teammates

The final report could take up to a year from the May 12, 2015 derailment, authorities have said.

But opening the docket will be the “most significant” public update on the crash in nearly eight months, the Inquirer said. The NTSB’s last update on the crash investigation was provided on June 10.

Investigators from the NTSB say the train was traveling 106 mph when it went into a turn with a 50 mph speed limit.

The engineer, Brandon Bostian, 32, has said he doesn’t remember the immediate moments leading up to the crash. Investigators have said they believe Bostian accelerated for about a minute before the crash and then hit the emergency brake just seconds before the train derailed.

Bostian was not using his cell phone in the moments leading up to the derailment, the NTSB says. The NTSB analyzed his cell phone calls, texts and data usage from tower records and information from the train’s WiFi system.

The FBI, which was asked to investigate damage to the left portion of the train’s windshield, found no evidence the train was shot at by a firearm before it accelerated ahead of the curve.

Amtrak has since installed a Positive Train Control system along the rail line’s Northeast Corridor tracks. Experts agree that such a system could have made automatic adjustments that might have prevented the derailment.

PHOTOS: Crash scene photo from NTSB and Justin Zemser photo from U.S. Naval Academy

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