An Amtrak train en route from D.C. to New York derailed in Philadelphia just after 9 p.m. on Tuesday night, killing at least six people on board and wounding dozens more. It was the second Amtrak crash in a week, following a crash in Louisiana on Sunday.
Rattled passengers who survived the crash shared their experiences in the immediate aftermath of the crash, detailing their escape from the wreckage.
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The crash left at least 140 people of the 243 on board injured; at least six of those injured are in critical condition. Photos from the crash site show the severity of the derailment, which affected all seven cars of the train. One car at the front of the train was badly mangled, while others were flipped on their sides.
Patrick J. Murphy, a former U.S. congressman, was one of the first people to relay a message from inside the derailed train. He let everyone know he was OK and urged his Twitter followers to pray for those on board who were not as lucky.
Im on @Amtrak train that just crashed. Im ok. Helping others. Pray for those injured.— Patrick J. Murphy (@PatrickMurphyPA) May 13, 2015
The photos he posted offered some of the first insights into the harrowing scene for those trapped inside. Emergency responders came to the aid of those aboard the toppled car within minutes, according to Murphy.
pic.twitter.com/GvooK8lq58— Patrick J. Murphy (@PatrickMurphyPA) May 13, 2015
Janelle Richards, an associate producer for NBC Nightly News, was also a passenger on the train. She recounted the chaos immediately following the derailment, describing a loud crash and smoke filling her train car.
Amtrak train derailed. Loud crash. Smoke filled the train. People that were able to walk to an exit tried to get door open and climb off.— Janelle Richards (@Janelle_News) May 13, 2015
Brooklyn-based journalist Beth Davidz recounted similar scenes of mayhem, but quickly tweeted that she was fine and lucky to be alive after choosing to not sit in the train's quiet car.
"Thank God was on phone and didn't sit in quiet car. That car and others not looking good," she tweeted.
Davidz was taken to the hospital but released in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Released from hospital. Thx to @sacmcdonald have a ride, a #philly place to stay . No wallet, one shoe, so grateful. pic.twitter.com/MVlH0NWJc5— Beth Davidz (@bethdavidz) May 13, 2015
Another journalist, Jillian Jorgensen, a senior editor for politics at the New York Observer, also described the train's quiet car as the one that suffered the most damage.
"The quiet car had fully flipped onto its side. Total disarray inside. A lot of injuries, some seemed very serious," Jorgensen tweeted.
Jorgensen was taken to the hospital but released early Wednesday. She was OK, but described the crash as the worst experience of her life, recounting how she flew out of her seat and landed under another seat on the train that had dislodged.
Train went to right, very fast, I flew out of seat on the right side and across the car. Bounced around, landed under a dislodged chair.— Jillian Jorgensen (@Jill_Jorgensen) May 13, 2015
Firefighters used a ladder to get people out of the car. Jorgenson speculated that the train may have "hit a curve going too fast."
"We banked hard right, immediately obvious something was wrong," she tweeted.
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