Benjamin Gran identified as third victim in Amtrak derailment
SEATTLE -- Authorities have identified the third person killed in the deadly Amtrak derailment outside of Seattle as a man under federal supervision for a child pornography conviction. The Pierce County coroner's office said Wednesday that Benjamin Gran, 40, of Auburn, Washington, died of multiple traumatic injuries in the train wreck Monday.
Emily Langlie, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Seattle, said the prosecutor was notified Wednesday of Gran's death. Gran had been ordered to a lifetime of supervised release following a felony conviction for child pornography.
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Gran had pleaded guilty and served two years in prison before his release in 2015. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender.
Gran died on the maiden voyage of a faster train route between Seattle and Portland, Oregon.
Authorities are investigating the wreck and have said that the train was going 80 mph in a 30 mph zone, derailing south of Seattle and toppling some cars on Interstate 5 below.
Dozens of others were hurt, some seriously.
Also killed in the train derailment were Jim Hamre, 61, and Zack Willhoite, 35. Hamre and Willhoite died of severe brain and skull injuries from blunt impact on the train.
Willhoite was an IT customer service specialist for Pierce Transit. On Monday, the transit agency said its team was "deeply saddened" by his passing, and he was admired by his colleagues.
"He will be sincerely missed. Our thoughts are with Zack's family, as well as the families of the other victims, during this very difficult time," Pierce Transit said.
Hamre was a retired civil engineer with the state Transportation Department and a member of the All Aboard Washington advocacy group.