THAT'S IT.
SEE YOU LATER.
>> Jon: FOX NEWS ALERT.
WE'RE GETTING MORE INFORMATION
NOW ON THAT AMTRAK DERAILMENT
IN TACK OHM -- TACOMA,
WASHINGTON
THE FIRST DAY THEY WERE
PROVIDING THE SERVICE.
STATIONS JOIN US.
THIS IS FOX NEWS COVERAGE OF AN
THIS ON THE 18th OF DECEMBER
AMTRAK WAS CROWING ABOUT ITS
NEW SERVICE TO THE AMTRAK
CASCADES TACOMA DOME STATION
AND IT LOOKS LIKE A TERRIBLE
YOU CAN SEE AN AMTRAK TRAIN
LEFT DANGLING OVER INTERSTATE 5
RIGHT THERE ALONG THE RIVER IN
WASHINGTON
WE CAN'T TELL FOR SURE FROM
THIS STILL PHOTO HOW MANY CARS
ACTUALLY CAME DOWN ON THE
HIGHWAY AND WHETHER ANY
VEHICLES OR AUTOMOBILES WERE
UNDERNEATH THEM.
AMTRAK HAS NOT SAID ANYTHING
ABOUT THE NUMBER OF INJURIES
RESULTING FROM THIS DERAILMENT.
THEY DID PUT OUT THIS STATEMENT.
AMTRAK IS AWARE OF AN INCIDENT
EMERGENCY SERVICES ARE ON THE
SOME INJURIES ARE REPORTED.
THE PIERCE COUNTY SHERIFF'S
OFFICE NOW SAYS INJURIES AND
LAST COUPLE OF MINUTES.
NUMBERS TO COME ON THAT.
JOHN HYATT IS A RAILROAD
INVESTIGATOR AND HE JOINS US ON
THE PHONE FROM SEATTLE.
OPERATING ON THIS NEW STRETCH
OF TRACK SO THEY COULD OPEN UP
THIS NEW STATION HAD TO PLAY A
ROLE IN THIS ACCIDENT.
>> IT'S AWFUL EARLY TO TELL.
THERE ARE ALSO SOME REPORTS THE
TRAIN STRUCK A TRUCK ON THE
TRACK AND -- LOOKING AT THE
PHOTOGRAPHS, THE LEAD
LOCOMOTIVE SEEMS TO BE INTACT
AND ON THE TRACK.
THE OTHER CAR IS HANGING OFF
THE OVERPASS.
THE FORTUNATE THING IT'S EASY
ACCESS FOR EMERGENCY PEOPLE BUT
I FEAR THERE HAS TO BE SOME
CASUALTIES ON THIS TRAIN.
IT LOOKS PRETTY BAD.
I DON'T KNOW.
THIS IS, AS YOU SAID, THE FIRST
DAY THAT THEY RAN THE NEW ROUTE
BUT I HIGHLY SUSPECT AT LEAST
THE INITIAL INDICATIONS ARE IT
MAY HAVE STRUCK SOMETHING ON
THE TRACK.
>> Jon: THE INFORMATION THAT
YOU ARE GETTING IS THAT THERE
WAS A TRUCK OR SOME KIND OF
VEHICLE ON THE TRACK?
>> INITIALLY THERE WAS A
TRANSPORTATION WORKING ON THE
TRACK.
HE WAS TWEETING ALONG AS HE
WENT AND THEN HE TWEETED THAT
THEY HAD JUST STRUCK A TRUCK
AND DERAILED.
THAT WAS THE LAST TWEET THAT
THEY HAD GOTTEN FROM HIM.
SO THAT'S ALL THE INFORMATION
I'M GOING BY.
IT IS SO EARLY TO TELL.
I WAS JUST ON MY WAY DOWN I-5
THIS MORNING AND I HAD TO
ROBUST LIABILITY SO THAT STILL
PICTURE WE SHOWED EARLIER THAT
SHOWED ONE END OF THE CAR STILL
UP THERE, THERE IS THE PHOTO,
ONE END OF THE CAR STILL
ESSENTIALLY ATTACHED TO THE
TRAIN AND THE OTHER DANGLING
DOWN ON THE TRACKS YOU HAVE TO
IMAGINE THAT IT IS SIMILAR TO A
HUMAN BEING JUMP OFF THAT
BRIDGE AND LANDING ON THE
CONCRETE BELOW.
THAT'S THE KIND OF IMPACT THAT
>> YEAH, THE FORTUNATE THING IS
THE ONE END STAYED CONNECTED TO
THE TRAIN.
OTHERWISE YOU LOSE THE ENTIRE
THEY TRY TO HANDLE IT THE BEST
THEY CAN BUT IT MAY WELL BE OUT
OF THERE -- I DON'T THINK THEY
CAN HANDLE IT ON THEIR OWN.
THERE IS A TON OF EMERGENCY
PEOPLE AND THAT'S THE FORTUNATE
PART.
WE'LL BE GETTING MORE
INFORMATION SOON, I'M SURE.
IT DOES SOUND INITIALLY I'M
TELLING YOU FROM THINGS THAT
HAVE BEEN TWEETED BY THE
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION,
THAT IT LOOKS LIKE THEY MAY
HAVE STRUCK SOMETHING ON THE
TRACK.
>> Jon: OLD HABITS DIEHARD.
IF IT WAS A NEW LINE TO AMTRAK,
I'M GUESSING THAT THE RAILS
ALREADY EXISTED BUT MAYBE
TRAINS DIDN'T USE THEM ALL THAT
MUCH?
PERHAPS THE DRIVER OR OPERATOR
OF WHATEVER VEHICLE THIS WASN'T
ACCUSTOMED TO TRAINS HERE?
>> THERE IS A 30 MILE-PER-HOUR
CURVE IN THIS AREA.
I DON'T KNOW THAT'S THE CASE.
IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY STRUCK
POSSIBILITIES.
THE TRACK HAD BEEN IN USE, IT
JUST HADN'T BEEN USED FOR THIS
PARTICULAR ROUTE.
MUCH INFORMATION YET TO COME
OUT AND I'M SURE IN THE NEXT
HOURS WE'LL FIND OUT A LOT MORE
INFORMATION.
AT THIS POINT THE PIERCE COUNTY
I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW TO
INTERPRET THAT.
>> Jon: AMTRAK SPENT YEARS
PLANNING THIS NEW SERVICE AGAIN
THEY JUST CUT THE RIBBON ON THE
AMTRAK CASCADES/TACOMA DOME
STATION A MILE FROM WHERE THIS
ACCIDENT TOOK PLACE.
THEY SPENT YEARS PLANNING IT
AND SPENT $800 MILLION IN
UPGRADES ON NOT ONLY THE
STATION BUT ALSO THE TRACKS.
AND YET SOMETHING LIKE THIS
HAPPENS.
>> IT HAS BEEN A HUGE PROJECT
IF IT IS SOMETHING LIKE A TRUCK
ON THE TRACK OR SOMETHING, IT'S
ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT HARD
TO PREVENT.
BUT AT THIS POINT LOOKING AT
THE LOCOMOTIVE I DIDN'T SEE A
LOT OF DAMAGE ON THE FONT OF
THE LOCOMOTIVE SO I DON'T KNOW.
I'M 10 MILES FROM THERE AND TRY
TO MAKE MY WAY OUT THERE VERY
SOON BUT TRAFFIC IS OUTRAGEOUS.
WITNESS ACCOUNTS ONLINE ON
SOCIAL MEDIA.
THEY ARE SAYING IT FELT LIKE
THEY WERE SUDDENLY GOING
DOWNHILL AND THEN THEY HIT THE
SEATS IN FRONT OF THEM.
WHAT MUST THAT IMPACT HAVE BEEN
LIKE?
>> IT HAD TO BE VERY
THAT FAST AND ALL OF A SUDDEN
EVERYTHING ELSE INVOLVED IT
HALF OF THE CAR IS STILL HUNG
UP.
IT PROBABLY CUSHIONED FROM A
LOT WORSE BLOW.
THERE IS SO MUCH TO FIND OUT
HERE.
>> Melissa: YOU MENTIONED IF
YOU LOOK AT THE PICTURE CLOSELY
SO THIS WASN'T THE LEAD CAR.
WHAT DO YOU INFER FROM THAT?
>> WELL, THAT'S SO HARD.
IN AN INSTANT LIKE THAT YOU
WOULD TEND TO THINK IT WAS MORE
I'M GOING BY IS THE ONE TWEET
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION THAT SAID THEY
HAD STRUCK A TRUCK.
NOW HOW HE KNEW THAT BEING BACK
IN THE TRAIN, I DON'T KNOW
UNLESS HE GOT UP THERE AND
SPOKE TO SOMEBODY.
BUT YOU KNOW, IT IS UNUSUAL IF
THEY DID STRIKE SOMETHING THAT
THE ENGINE STAYS ON AND OTHER
INVOLVED IN WHAT TOOK PLACE
HERE.
I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY IF THAT --
IT LOOKS LIKE THEY MUST HAVE
BEEN GOING AT A SLOWER RATE OF
SPEED, OTHERWISE I BELIEVE THAT
CAR PROBABLY WOULD HAVE GONE
ALL THE WAY OFF.
>> Melissa: WE KNOW THEY WERE
HEADING ON A NEW ROUTE TO A NEW
STATION.
IS THIS THE FIRST TRAIN TO GO
THROUGH THERE OR IF OTHERS WENT
AHEAD OF IT TODAY?
>> I BELIEVE THIS WAS THE FIRST
ONE IS WHAT I'VE BEEN TOLD.
THEY THOUGHT IT WAS THE VERY
FIRST ONE.
THEY USUALLY GO AROUND WHAT IS
CALLED THE LAKE VIEW
SUBDIVISION AND THIS TIME THEY
ACTUALLY COME RIGHT ALONG THE
RIVER AND IT IS A SHORTER ROUTE
AND FASTER ROUTE AND TRACK
SPEED IS HIGHER.
MILES PER HOUR, WHICH IS TRACK
RUNNING SPEED RIGHT THROUGH
THERE.
COMMENTING HOW THEY WERE
PASSING TRAINS ON I-5 JUST
PRIOR TO THIS AND THEN THEY
MUST HAVE SLOWED DOWN TO COME
INTO THE CURVE I SPOKE OF AND
SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAPPENED.
>> Jon: JOHN HYATT IS A
RAILROAD INVESTIGATOR AND
AUTHORITY.
OUR GUEST WITH US RIGHT NOW AS
WE CONTINUE TO COVER THIS
AMTRAK DERAILMENT ON THE FIRST
DAY OF SERVICE IN THE TACOMA