Injuries reported in Amtrak car derailment near Philadelphia

In this frame from video provided by WPVI, emergency personnel work on an Amtrak train following an accident Sunday, April 3, 2016, in Chester, Pa. Amtrak said the train was heading from New York to Savannah, Ga., when it struck a backhoe outside of Philadelphia. (WPVI via AP)

CHESTER, Pa. — An Amtrak train struck a piece of construction equipment just south of Philadelphia on Sunday causing a derailment, and dozens of injuries are being reported, according to authorities.

Service on the Northeast Corridor between New York and Philadelphia has been suspended.

Train 89 was heading from New York to Savannah, Georgia, when it hit a backhoe that was on the track in Chester, about 15 miles outside of Philadelphia, officials said. The crash happened around 8 a.m.

The impact derailed the lead engine of the train. About 333 passengers and seven crew members were on board.

Mike Tolbert, spokesman for Amtrak, said approximately 31 passengers were transported to area hospitals. None of the injuries are considered life-threatening.

Local emergency responders were on the scene and the crash is being investigated. Federal Railroad Administration officials had arrived at the scene, said Matthew Lehner, a spokesman for the agency.

Ari Ne’eman, a disability rights activist heading to Washington after speaking at an event in New York, said he was in the second car at the time of the crash.

“The car started shaking wildly, there was a smell of smoke, it looked like there was a small fire and then the window across from us blew out,” said Ne’eman, 28, of Silver Spring, Maryland.

Some of the passengers started to get off after the train stopped, but the conductor quickly stopped them. Officials started evacuateing people to the rear of the train and then off and to a local church.

“It was a very frightening experience. I’m frankly very glad that I was not on the first car,” where there were injuries, he said. “The moment that the car stopped, I said Shema, a Jewish prayer … I was just so thankful that the train had come to a stop and we were OK.”

This derailment comes almost a year after an Amtrak train originating from Washington D.C. bound for New York City derailed in Philadelphia. Eight people were killed and more than 200 were injured in the May 12 crash. The exact cause of that crash is still under investigation, but authorities have said the train had been traveling twice the speed limit. TVJ