Amtrak shows appreciation for response to September derailment

Amtrak was in Chester over the weekend to show its appreciation to the town and the surrounding region and to The American Red Cross for the assistance provided in a derailment west of Joplin Sept. 25.

The derailment killed three people and injured dozens.

Amtrak Executive Vice President/Chief Safety Officer Steve Predmore, Amtrak Senior Director Mary Carlson Bis and Amtrak Police Deputy Chief Joe Patterson were at the event to show Amtrak's appreciation and to present pledges to the city of Chester and to The Red Cross.

National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.

The westbound train had two engines and 10 cars and was carrying 141 people and had 16 Amtrak employees on board. It derailed just west of Joplin, with eight of its cars derailing, four of which ended up on their side.

Three people were killed and 44 were hospitalized due to their injuries, including at least five hospitalized overnight.

The NTSB initial report on the derailment said the train was moving at less than the 79 mph speed limit, at between 75 p.m. and 78 mph, when the emergency brakes were activated.

The tracks where the derailment occurred had been inspected by BNSF Railway, which owns the tracks on which Amtrak runs, a few days before the derailment.

The entire region mobilized after the derailment, with people and disaster and emergency response personnel from the community and from surrounding towns and counties providing assistance.

Red Cross responded to provide aid and Amtrak sent an incident response team with emergency personnel and Amtrak leadership officials to the scene and created a family assistance center in Great Falls with family assistance liaisons to reach out to injured people and their families, as well as dispatching nurse case managers to help the people hospitalized.

Predmore and Bis presented at the event Sunday certificates of appreciation and an Amtrak pledge for $50,000 to each the city of Chester and the Red Cross