NJ Transit, Good Samaritans Help Amtrak Passengers Get To Work
By Sarah Glover ••
NJ Transit and concerned citizens came to the aid of commuters unable to travel to and from work after an Amtrak train jumped the tracks resulting in multiple fatalities in Philadelphia Tuesday night. The train was traveling in excess of 100 mph before it derailed, the NTSB said.
"It's been a disruption for us but obviously such a tragedy for so many," said Haverford resident Laurie Cooke, who traveled by car to Trenton so she could get a train there to attend a New York City health care conference.
Eight people were killed and more than 200 were injured. A Naval Academy Midshipman and Associated Press video software architect are among the deceased, authorities said. A Philadelphia CEO and mother of a 2-year-old remained missing Wednesday morning.
NJ Transit began honoring Amtrak customer tickets and passes from Trenton to New York City on Wednesday.
Good Samaritans came to the aid of the stranded passengers and those trying to get to work. Chris Krings, 16, and his dad returning home from a trip to Wal-Mart were among the first responders to offer help at the scene. A woman from Media, Pa. took to Twitter offering rides to Trenton to help commuters get to work.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf called the wreck a "terrible accident" as authorities work to figure out what happened.
#NJTBus service south of I-195 will cross honor Amtrak tickets/passes due to the Amtrak service suspension
Family and friends of passengers may call the Amtrak hotline at 800-523-9101 for more information.
Emergency personnel help a passenger at the scene of a train wreck, Tuesday, May 12, 2015, in Philadelphia. An Amtrak train headed to New York City derailed and crashed in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Joseph Kaczmarek)
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Authorities inspect the derailed train cars on May 12, 2015.
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Amtrak's Northeast Corridor trains resumed service on Monday, May 18, 2015. Here, an Amtrak train travels northbound from 30th Street Station, May 18, 2015 in Philadelphia.
NTSB Board Member Robert Sumwalt said that a forward-facing camera in the engine's cab showed that the train increased from 70mph to over 100 before it derailed and crashed, killing eight.
AP/NTSB Handout Photo
This undated photo posted on the Twitter account of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Friday, May 15, 2015, shows the event recorder from Amtrak locomotive involved in Tuesday's deadly crash in Philadelphia. The NTSB is investigating why the train accelerated to more than twice the allowed speed in the last minute before it derailed.
Surrounded by friends and family, Susan Zemser, center, and Howard Zemser, the parents of U.S. Naval Academy Midshipman Justin Zemser, prepare to speak to the media outside their home in New York, May 13, 2015. Zemser, 20, who was on leave and heading home to Rockaway Beach, N.Y., was killed in the derailment.
NTSB Recorder Specialist Cassandra Johnson works with officials on the scene of the Amtrak Train #188 Derailment in Philadelphia, PA on May 13, 2015.
A flat bed truck hauls a section of new railroad track to the site of Tuesday's deadly train derailment, May 14, 2015, in Philadelphia.
NTSB member Robert Sumwalt speaks at a news conference near the scene of a deadly Amtrak train wreck, May 13, 2015, in Philadelphia. Sumwalt said Wednesday that the train was traveling at 106 mph when the engineer hit the brakes Tuesday night.
Getty Images
Investigators and first responders work near the wreckage of Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 188, from Washington to New York, that derailed May 13, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Passenger Jeffrey Kutler, 62, from Brooklyn, N.Y., talks with reporters, May 13, 2015, in Philadelphia, about the deadly derailment of the train he was on.
Passengers wait in the Amtrak customer service line at Union Station in Washington, May 13, 2015. The northeast corridor experienced major delays in the wake of the derailment in Philadelphia.
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President Barack Obama said the derailment of Amtrak Train 188 "is a tragedy that touches us all." In a statement, Obama said he is offering prayers to the families who lost loved ones and the passengers beginning to recover.
A departure board at Union Station shows trains traveling to New York as canceled, May 13, 2015, in Washington.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter hugs Lori Dee Patterson, a local resident, after he spoke at a news conference near the scene of a deadly train derailment, May 13, 2015, in Philadelphia.
NTSB
Mike Flanigon of the NTSB briefs Vice Chairman Dinh-Zarr on the scene of the Amtrak Train #188 Derailment in Philadelphia, PA, May 13, 2015.
NTSB's Mike Flanigon briefs Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter on the scene of the Amtrak Train #188 Derailment in Philadelphia, PA, May 13, 2015.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
Investigators and first responders work near the wreckage of Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 188, from Washington to New York, that derailed May 13, 2015 in north Philadelphia.
Emergency personnel help a passenger at the scene of a train wreck, Tuesday, May 12, 2015, in Philadelphia. An Amtrak train headed to New York City derailed and crashed in Philadelphia.
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Emergency personnel work the scene of a deadly train wreck, Tuesday, May 12, 2015, in Philadelphia.
Emergency personnel help a passenger at the scene of a train wreck, May 12, 2015, in Philadelphia.
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Emergency personnel work the scene of a train wreck, Tuesday, May 12, 2015, in Philadelphia.
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Emergency personnel work the scene of a train wreck, Tuesday, May 12, 2015, in Philadelphia.
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A crime scene investigator looks inside a train car after a train wreck, Tuesday, May 12, 2015, in Philadelphia.
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