Victims Plan Suit Against Amtrak Over Train Derailment

DUPONT, WA - Six victims in Monday's train derailment will sue Amtrak, and their legal team is conducting its own investigation into the incident, according to KOMO News. Clifford Law Offices, a Chicago-based firm, said they will be looking into the train operator's safety protocols and has already asked that Amtrak preserve any evidence related to the case. The suit will demand compensation for the victims' injuries.

The injuries the firm's clients have suffered are likely to have "long-term" consequences and the derailment was a "horrific experience," attorney Michael Krzak told KOMO News.

He added that it's clear Amtrak's safety training needs to be strengthened as the train was traveling 50 mph faster than it should have been. The National Safety Transportation Board has said that the train was going 80 mph in a 30-mph zone when it crashed.

The train, No. 501, was headed for Portland and had left the Tacoma station about 12 minutes before the derailment. Twelve of the train's 13 cars left the tracks, and three people died.

There were more than 80 passengers and crew on the train, and dozens were taken to local hospitals following the incident. (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Lakewood, click here to find your local Washington Patch. Also, follow us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Photo by Elaine Thompson/Associated Press