An Amtrak train derailed Monday after striking a dump truck in Mendon, Missouri – about two hours northeast of Kansas City. According to a statement released by Amtrak, the train was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago carrying approximately 275 passengers and 12 crew members. At 12:42 p.m. local time, the train collided with a truck at a public crossing, causing eight cars and two locomotives to derail. A spokesman for the Missouri State Highway Patrol told reporters that there were three confirmed fatalities and multiple injuries. The derailment comes one day after another Amtrak train collided with a car at a crossing in Brentwood, California, killing three and injuring several others.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the railroad accident and issue a report with its findings. Its investigation process typically involves:
- ​​​​​​​​​​​​on-site fact gathering;
- analysis of facts and determination of probable cause;
- acceptance of a final report; and
- advocating for the acceptance of safety recommendations arising from the investigation.
Other tragic Amtrak crashes in recent years
Sept. 26, 2021:Â Three people died and others were injured when an Amtrak train derailed in north-central Montana as it traveled from Chicago to Seattle.
Dec. 18, 2017:Â Three people were killed and 10 seriously injured in a derailment near Olympia, Washington. The train was traveling more than 80 mph during its inaugural run of a newly opened, faster rail line when it left the tracks.
April 3, 2016:Â Two maintenance workers were struck and killed by a train going more than 100 mph in Chester, Pennsylvania. The lead engine of the train derailed.
March 14, 2016:Â A train traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago derailed in southwest Kansas, injuring at least 32 people. Investigators concluded a cattle feed delivery truck hit the track and shifted it at least a foot before the derailment.
Oct. 5, 2015:Â A train headed from Vermont to Washington, D.C., derailed when it hit rocks that had fallen onto the track from a ledge. Seven people were injured.
May 12, 2015:Â A train traveling at twice the 50 mph speed limit derailed as it entered a sharp curve in Philadelphia. Eight people were killed and more than 200 were injured.
