A transit employee described as a “rail aficionado” was one of the three people killed on Monday when an Amtrak train in Washington state derailed during its inaugural ride on a new route, leaving more than 70 people injured as investigators search for clues on why the celebratory trip turned deadly.
Zack Willhoite, a Pierce Transit employee, was killed on Monday when Amtrak train 501 derailed off an overpass and onto Interstate 5 just around 7:40 a.m. after pulling out of the new Tacoma station, Chris Karnes, chair of Pierce transit’s Advisory Board, tweeted on Tuesday. The transit agency also confirmed the death.
“It’s heartbreaking to hear that @PierceTransit employee and rail aficionado Zack Willhoite did not survive the derailment,” Karnes wrote. “He helped our advisory committee with IT issues, and behind the scenes he was a writer and advocate for better transit for all. He will be missed.”
Willhoite was an IT customer service support specialist and had been working with Pierce Transit since 2008, the agency said in a statement.
“The entire Pierce Transit team was deeply saddened to learn that one of our employees was a victim of the Dec. 18 Amtrak train accident,” the statement read. “He has always been deeply appreciated and admired by his colleagues, and played an important role at our agency. He will be sincerely missed.”
“Our thoughts are with Zack’s family, as well as the families of the other victims, during this very difficult time,” the agency concluded.
The two other victims named have not been released.
The National Transportation Safety Board announced Monday night the Amtrak train was going 80 mph on a 30 mph when it derailed along a curve, causing railcars to fall onto the highway and smash into vehicles below. More than 70 people were taken to the hospital, 10 of them with serious injuries. The engineer, whose name was not released, was bleeding from the head after the wreck and both eyes were swollen shut, according to the dispatch audio.
LOCAL WASHINGTON MAYOR FEARED DEADLY ACCIDENTS WEEKS BEFORE AMTRAK DERAILMENT
Several train cars fell over the overpass and onto Interstate 5 in Washington state on Monday.
(AP Photo)
Train passenger Emma Shafer found herself at a 45-degree angle, staring at the seats in front of her that had come loose and swung around.
“It felt oddly silent after the actual crashing,” she said. “Then there was people screaming because their leg was messed up…I don’t know if I actually heard the sirens, but they were there. A guy was like, ‘Hey, I’m Robert. We’ll get you out of here.'”
NTSB chairman Bella Dinh-Zarr said a team of investigators will be interviewing the engineer and any possible witnesses to find out what exactly happened during the ride.
“We ask [people] to remember everything they can out there…Human memory starts fading. We just want to know exactly what happened and what did,” Dinh-Zarr said. “We will also on our own will look at training records, ops manuals to see what policies are in place for this type of run.”
TRUMP: AMTRAK DERAILMENT SHOWS NEED FOR INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN
Monday was the first day the train was operating on a new bypass route between Seattle and Portland that was created by refurbishing freight tracks along the major interstate. The $180.7 million project was aimed at speeding up service by bypassing an old route that had a number of curves, single-track tunnels and freight traffic.
But just two weeks before the crash, Lakewood Mayor Don Anderson voiced his concerns about the new route, saying pedestrians and cars were too close to the trains.
“It’s virtually inevitable that someone is going to get killed that wouldn’t be killed otherwise,” Anderson said. “This is unacceptable.”
Fox News’ Shira Bush and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
