Whitefish man one of several suing after train derailment

A Whitefish passenger on an Amtrak train that derailed near Joplin is one of several survivors that have filed suit against Amtrak and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway in the accident.

“Theodore Hastreiter suffered severe physical, psychological and emotional trauma as he witnessed fellow passengers die in the observation rail car in which he was seated,” Clifford Law Office of Chicago said in a release.

The train derailed Sept. 25, killing three people when it tipped over.

There were 146 passengers and 16 crew members onboard. The train consisted of two locomotives and 10 cars, with eight of those cars derailing.

The suit also represents a Massachusetts couple, a Pennsylvania couple and an Indiana couple.

“All of these people deserve their day in court,” Sean Driscoll, partner at Clifford Law Offices and lead counsel on the team that obtained a $57 million settlement against Amtrak on behalf of its clients in the 2017 Seattle derailment said in a release.  “We have assembled a team of experts including former NTSB investigators who are conducting a thorough examination of all aspects of this tragic derailment.  We will get answers.  They will get justice.”

The cause of the crash is still under investigation by the National Transportation Board and railroad officials.