CHESTER, Pa.—The engineer of an Amtrak passenger train applied the emergency brakes five seconds before it struck a backhoe sitting on the same track, killing the backhoe operator and a track supervisor, federal officials said.
The train was going 106 miles per hour in a 110 mph zone, the National Transportation Safety Board said on Monday. No one on board was killed, but more than 30 passengers were injured. The injuries were not considered life-threatening.
NTSB investigator Ryan Frigo said videos showed construction equipment on the track and a contractor’s equipment on an adjacent track before Sunday morning’s crash.
National Transportation Safety Board staffers inspect the engine of Amtrak Train 89 which hit a construction vehicle on the tracks and derailed in Chester, Pa., on April 3, 2016. Clem Murray/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP
