05/25/2015 // JusticeNewsFlash // (press release)
Philadelphia – The payout amount for Amtrak passenger crash victims is capped at $200 million. Following the recent derailment of a New York bound Amtrak train in Philadelphia, which resulted in over 200 people being injured, Amtrak could reach the maximum payout limit to cover the injuries and deaths of those impacted by the crash, according to a Skift report.
The train, which was headed to New York from Washington, was reportedly moving at twice the speed limit when it derailed shortly following a stop at Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station. A lawsuit was filed by an employee days later. As noted by the Skift report, employees are not limited by the cap.
Frank Wilner, who authored the book, “Amtrak: Past, Present, Future,” has said of the crash, “I don’t think Amtrak has ever faced a situation like this, and since they own the Northeast Corridor, they’re 100 percent on the hook.”
The payout cap was put in place in 1997 as part of an effort to rescue Amtrak financially and move the rail service toward independence. Amtrak was reportedly facing bankruptcy at the time.
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