At least 32 people were injured, two critically, after an Amtrak train from Los Angeles bound for Chicago derailed on the BNSF Railway about 20 miles west of Dodge City, Kansas early Monday, March 14th. The derailment occurred just after midnight, central time zone, near the farming community of Cimarron, Kansas. 128 passengers and 14 crew members were on board the train when eight cars derailed, with five coming to rest on their side.
According to authorities, the train was traveling around 75 miles per hour when the engineer noticed a significant deformity in the railroad tracks. The engineer engaged the emergency braking system, but was unable to stop the train before hitting the track deformity. One passenger noted that he did not feel an impact prior to a feeling that the train was simply moving forward, off the rails.
32 people were taken to local hospitals for their injuries, with 29 of the patients being discharged later in the morning. Two victims were listed in critical condition, but did not have life-threatening injuries. Other passengers were taken to a community center in Cimarron to await for travel arrangements.
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board have since discovered that the deformity on the tracks was caused by a feed truck from a nearby cattle farm, Cimarron Crossing Feeders. While they cannot be certain that this caused the derailment, the truck may have shifted the railroad track more than a foot. The incident remains under investigation.
