Was engineer in deadly Amtrak wreck distracted?
DUPONT, Wash. (AP) — Federal investigators in the deadly Amtrak wreck want to know whether the engineer was distracted by a second person in his cab as his train hurtled into a curve at more than twice the speed limit.
Three people were killed Monday when the train barreled into a 30 mph zone at 80 mph and plunged off an overpass, sending rail cars plummeting onto a busy interstate highway south of Seattle.
A locomotive from the train was removed Wednesday morning from the scene. The wreck closed the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 south of Tacoma, during the busy holiday travel period. Authorities said they'd reopen the freeway lanes as soon as possible.