One Year Later: NTSB to detail likely cause of deadly Amtrak derailment

PHILADELPHIA (WTXF)- One year ago Thursday night, Amtrak Train 188 from Washington to New York derailed in Port Richmond, Philadelphia, killing eight people and injuring more than 200 others.

An investigation revealed the train was traveling at 106 miles an hour, more than twice the legal speed limit, as it hit a sharp curve at Frankford Junction, Northbound, out of 30th Street Station.

The automatic braking system was not active on that side of the tracks at the time, though it was functional on the other side.

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Engineer Brandon Bostian told officials he remembered accelerating and then, realized he made a mistake, and applied the brakes.

By then it was too late, and the train took the curve at a high rate of speed, derailing as several cars toppled and tumbled to the ground.

Many passengers tried to help one another, as first responders made their way to the scene.

Officials say, had first responders not trained for such emergencies the death toll would have been much higher.

The NTSB is meeting Tuesday in Washington D.C. to determine the probable cause of the derailment.

Amtrak released the following statement on the anniversary of the crash:

On this one year anniversary of the derailment of Train 188, our thoughts and prayers go out to the families who suffered a loss, the passengers and employees who were injured and to everyone onboard the train. This was a tragic event and we take full responsibility for our role in the derailment and work every day to strengthen rail safety. We are cooperating fully with the NTSB to support the ongoing investigation of the Train 188 derailment. Our goal is to fully understand what happened and how we can prevent a similar tragedy from occurring in the future.