​Amtrak Reportedly Ordered To Pay $265 Million For May 2015 Fatal Crash​

Amtrak has been ordered to pay $265 million in settlements from claims filed in the May 12, 2015 crash in the Port Richmond area of Philadelphia that killed eight people and injured over 200, according to reports.

6ABC reports that a U.S. District Judge ordered Amtrak to pay the settlement for all pending claims filed in the crash.

According to NBC10, over 125 claims have yet to be settled, all of which are to be settled in two and a half years.

Amtrak has previously taken responsibility for the crash and was settling privately with affected parties, but those parties were unable to speak their conditions or how much money they received from Amtrak, according to 6AC.

ABC News reports that federal law caps had previously limited payouts for one accident to $200 million, however the cap was raised to $295 million after the May 2015 crash.

Lawyer Thomas Kline led the negotiations with Amtrak and says individuals could get the full value of their claims — or more or less —depending on how far the settlement fund stretches, ABC News reports.

According to ABC News, injuries sustained in the crash range from catastrophic, including one man left a paraplegic, to people who suffered emotional trauma.

The crash happened at the Franklin Junction in the Port Richmond area of Philadelphia when the train was traveling over 100 miles per hour on a 50-mile-per-hour curve. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the crash caused over $9 million in damage.

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