Last Updated on August 22, 2017 by CCAR Staff
UPPER DARBY, Pa. — A commuter train crashed into a parked train at a suburban Philadelphia terminal early Tuesday, injuring dozens of passengers and the train’s operator, a transit spokeswoman said.
None of the 42 people hurt in the crash suffered life-threatening injuries, said Heather Redfern, a
spokeswoman for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. “Some were considered walking wounded,” she said.
An inbound Norristown High Speed train crashed into an unoccupied train at the 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby around 12:15 a.m. Redfern said hours later that the train operator had been treated at a hospital and released.
National Transportation Safety Board officials were at the scene and planned a 5 p.m. briefing.
A passenger, Raymond Woodard, told WPVI-TV that he was riding home from work on the train when it crashed.
“I heard the train going real fast … like, super-fast,” Woodard said. “And I looked up, and I saw that we’re at 69th Street and said, ‘Why are we going so fast?’ And then we just hit the train. Boom! I fell out of my chair, glass from the window shattered, I hit my head. Everybody was on the floor.”
An NTSB photo of the train that was rear-ended showed only what appeared to be light damage.
The accident resulted in some delays for commuters.
Upper Darby Mayor Thomas Micozzie said the injured were taken to local hospitals.
One passenger told reporters that the operator of the train was “all banged up” and the scene was bloody.
In February, four people were injured in a crash near the 69th Street Terminal involving three out-of-service commuter trains. At the time, SEPTA said one train rear-ended another on a loop where trains turn around to get back into service. Cars from that accident derailed and hit a third train on nearby tracks.
