Amtrak derailment: Mother and aunt among four dead as Boy Scouts recall bloody scene in Missouri

The train was on its way to Chicago from Los Angeles when the accident occurred

Train carrying 243 passengers derails near Kansas City, Missouri

A woman’s mother and aunt from Olathe, Missouri, have been identified by family as being among the four people killed when an Amtrak train derailed in Kansas City, Missouri, according to local news outlet KSHB.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said three passengers died and the driver of a dump truck that collided with the Los Angeles to Chicago passenger train were among the dead, who have not been named.

Investigtors are currently at the scene of the crash in Mendon and the railroad is expected to remain closed for a matter of days following the collision at railroad crossing on Monday afternoon.

Amtrak, which confirmed 275 passengers and 12 crew members were on board the Southwest Chief intercity train, said it is “deeply saddened” to learn about the deaths of the passengers and the truck driver and that is cooperating with investigators.

The incident was the second in two days for Amtrak after three people were killed and two others suffered severe injuries when a train carrying 85 passengers hit a vehicle in rural California.

Key points

• Mother and aunt among dead, family say
• Boy Scout passengers recall seeing bloody scene
• Farmer warned about crossing safety before crash
• Aerial footage shows train tipped on its side

[29 June 2022 06:00 · Josh Marcus]

The death toll from the Amtrak derailment sadly rises to four

The death toll from the Amtrak derailment in Missouri has increased to four after a third passenger on the train was confirmed to have died.

The Missouri state highway patrol said on Tuesday that the individual died of injuries sustained in the derailment, which happened near Mendon and more than 80 miles from Kansas City.

About 150 people were taken from the scene of the derailment to 10 area hospitals, authorities and Amtrak said. Their injuries ranged from minor to serious.

The latest victim, who has not named, died at University of Missouri Health Center, the patrol said.

Gino Spocchia has the full story.

[29 June 2022 07:59 · Josh Marcus]

WATCH: Passengers escape flipped Amtrak train

Dramatic videos capture passengers escaping from a crowded Amtrak train that hit a dump truck and derailed in Missouri on Monday.

“Damn, it happened,” passenger Robert Nightingale of New Mexico can be heard saying, as he walks through the rubble-strewn hallway of the train toward a shaft of light from an open window.

Later, video from Mr Nightingale, which he posted on Facebook Live, shows passengers sitting on top of overturned rail cars.

The Taos resident said he was taking a nap in the train’s sleeper car when suddenly the train began rocking on Monday afternoon.

[29 June 2022 10:00 · Josh Marcus]

Missouri wasn’t the only recent Amtrak crash

Here’s a list of some of the other notable transit incidents in recent days.

[29 June 2022 12:00 · Josh Marcus]

Were there warning signs about the Amtrak crash?

A farmer said it was only “a matter of time” before an Amtrak train derailed in northern Missouri, just one day after three people were killed in a collision with a truck near Mendon.

Mike Spencer, 64, said in an interview with the Kansas City Star that he passes the same railroad crossing where the Amtrak train derailed on Monday and that he had concerns.

“They knew it was unsafe,” said the 64-year-old. “I was certain that this was going to happen. It was just a matter of time.”

Three people were killed and 50 more injured when an Amtrak train hit a dump truck at the crossing in a rural area of Missouri, near Mendon. An investigation is underway.

Gino Spocchia has the full story.

[29 June 2022 13:24 · Gino Spocchia]

Woman’s ‘mother and aunt’ among victims

The mother and aunt of a woman from Olathe, Missouri, were identified as being among the victims of the Amtrak train derailment near Mendon.

Friends and family told KSHB 41 News on Tuesday that the two women were among the three victims who were passengers of the intercity train.

The driver of a dump truck that collided with the train also died, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.

No victims have been named by officials.

[29 June 2022 14:10 · Gino Spocchia]

Boy Scouts recall seeing lots of bleeding

A Boy Scout group from Wisconsn were riding the Amtrak train that derailed in Missouri on Monday and immeditedly jumped into action to help others, accrding to the father of one 15-year-old.

Dan Skrypczak told Fox News that there was “lots of bleeding” at the scene, with 150 of the 275 passengers and 12 crew members later taken to hospial with various injuries.

His son witnessed blood all over the scene of the derailed Amtrak train and even tried saving the life of the truck driver who collided with the train, who later died.

“There were lots of injuries, lots of bleeding,” he said.

[29 June 2022 14:55 · Gino Spocchia]

Scouts helped people escape wrecked Amtrak train

Dan Skrypczak, the father of a Wisconsin Boy Scout who was riding the Amtrak train, has said the 22-person scout group “ jumped in and did what they were supposed to do.”

He told news outlets on Tuesday about how the group of scouts and adults immediately jumped into action to help other passengers by breaking windows when the Southwest Chief train collided with a dump truck on Monday.

That allowed some of the 275 passengers and 12 crew members to escape the wreckage of the train.

They were “getting people out of windows and carrying them down,” said Eli Skyrypczack, 15, to WITI. “I had to carry a couple kids in my arms, two at a time.”

[29 June 2022 15:40 · Gino Spocchia]

NTSB says truck driver was local contractor

Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chairwoman Jennifer L. Homendy said the truck which collided with an Amtrak train was owned by MS Contracting of Brookfield, Missouri.

Appearing to confirm earlier reports, Ms Homendy said the driver was transporting material to a US Army Corps of Engineers project nearby, where a levy is being built on a creek.

It remains unclear exactly how the truck ended-up on the tracks, where it collided with an Amtrak train at a crossing criticised by local residents.

[29 June 2022 16:25 · Gino Spocchia]

Details from NTSB investigation could come today

The NTSB could release some information about their investigation on Wednesday at the earliest, the chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday.

A team of 16 investigators were sent to the site of the Amtrak derailment on Tuesday following the deaths of four people. Another 50 people were injured.

Investigators will download recorder information to determine the speed of the train, when the horn was blown and if the emergency brake was deployed, Ms Homendy said.

Amtrak has said it is ”committed to cooperating fully with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)”.