Commuters help at scene of deadly US rail crash

Eyewitnesses report on derailed train

Cars from an Amtrak train that derailed lie spilled onto Interstate 5 on Monday in DuPont, Washington, US. (AP photo)
Cars from an Amtrak train that derailed lie spilled onto Interstate 5 on Monday in DuPont, Washington, US. (AP photo)

DUPONT, Washington: Daniel Konzelman was one of thousands of commuters driving along a highway outside Seattle on Monday morning when his emergency response training was needed.

He and a friend pulled over after an Amtrak passenger train hurtled off an overpass and crashed into vehicles on Interstate 5 below, killing at least three people and injuring dozens of others, authorities said.

A US official who was briefed on the investigation said earlier that at least six people were killed. The difference in the numbers could not immediately be explained. The official was not authorised to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Konzelman and his friend rushed to help, running along the tracks and over the bridge to get to the scene.

Some train cars had their roofs ripped off or were turned upside down. Others were turned sideways on the bridge. Konzelman, 24, and his friend climbed into train cars to look for victims.

“I just wanted to help people because I would want people to help me,” he said.

The scene was grisly, with some people pinned under the train and others who appeared to be dead. If people could move and seemed stable, Konzelman said he helped them climb out of the train. If they looked seriously hurt, he tried to offer comfort by talking to them to calm them down.

They stayed to help for nearly two hours.

“I wasn't scared. I knew what to expect. ... I prepared for the worst and hoped for the best. I saw a little bit of both,” Konzelman said.

The train was making its first-ever run along a faster new route between Portland, Oregon, and Seattle. Seventy-seven passengers and seven crew members were on board.


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Vocabulary

  • anonymity: when someone's name is not given or known - การไม่ระบุชื่อ
  • brief: to give someone instructions or information - สรุป
  • comfort: a thing that makes your life easier or more comfortable - ความสะดวกสบาย
  • grisly: involving death or violence in a shock way; very unpleasant to look at because it involves death or violence - น่ากลัว,น่าขนลุก,น่าเขย่าขวัญ
  • hurtle (verb): to move very fast in a particular direction - พุ่ง,เคลื่อนไปอย่างรวดเร็วมาก
  • on board: on a ship, aircraft or vehicle - บนหรือใน (เรือ, รถ, เครื่องบินหรือพาหนะอื่น)
  • overpass: a bridge that carries a road or railway over another road - สะพานข้าม
  • pinned under: to be stuck under something and cannot move or leave -
  • roof (noun): the structure that covers or forms the top of a building or vehicle - หลังคา
  • sideways (adv): to, towards or from the side; with one side facing forwards - โดยมองไปด้านข้าง, มองข้างๆ, เฉียงๆ, เอียง
  • stable: with a healthy mental and emotional state - มีสุขภาพจิตดี
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