Lawyers Representing Amtrak Derailment Victims Still Have Many Questions
By Mike Dougherty
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - An attorney representing Amtrak derailment victims says word that the train engineer wasn't talking, texting, or using data on his cell phone leading up to the crash raises more questions than it answers.
Why was the train traveling at 106 miles per hour -- more than twice the speed limit where train jumped the tracks? That's the main question Larry Bendesky wants answered:
"It also raises the question, again, of why Amtrak didn't put Automatic Train Control system in place for the northbound trains when they had it in place for the southbound trains."
So far, four victims represented by Bendesky and his colleagues have filed suit. He says eight others will file shortly:
"Our clients want fair compensation for what they've been through. They want to make sure that their medical bills are paid in the future."
And, he says, most importantly, they want to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.