WASHINGTON (AP) – Victims of last year’s deadly Amtrak derailment aren’t buying the findings of federal investigators that the train’s engineer likely lost his bearings because he was distracted by an incident with a nearby train.
Through lawyers, they called the National Transportation Safety Board’s cause determination frustrating, disappointing and hard to believe. One lawyer called Tuesday’s explanation a “whitewash.” Another said it was a “quantum leap.”
Instead of closure, they said, the official report on the May 12, 2015 wreck only prompted more questions.
“We’ve reached the end and there’s no conclusion,” lawyer Fred Eisenberg said.
Having ruled out other factors including equipment problems and cell phone use, investigators determined that engineer Brandon Bostian lost track of where he was after hearing on the radio that a commuter train had been struck with a rock.