Report: Amtrak Engineer “Likely Distracted” Before Fatal Crash

Engineer Brandon Bostian photo via Facebook

A yearlong probe by the National Transportation Safety Board has determined that Amtrak engineer Brandon Bostian was “likely distracted” immediately before his train derailed last May, the Inquirer reports.

“Among the possible reasons the engineer may have lost his bearings was radio chatter several minutes before the train hurtled off a curve,” writes the newspaper’s Jason Laughlin. “The NTSB findings, first reported by NBC News, come on the eve of a safety board hearing in Washington that will largely bring to a conclusion the investigation into the Train 188 crash.”

NTSB investigators will make several recommendations, according to the Inquirer, including improved training for engineers, better cooperation among the city’s first responders, and a study looking at whether two engineers should operate trains instead of one.

Eight people died and 200 were injured in the crash.

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