KING
KING 5,
KING 5, A
KING 5, A SURVIVOR TELLS SOUTH BUREAU CHIEF DREW MIKKELSEN HOW
SHE'S FIGHTING BACK, DREW?
>> TIFFANI VINCENT'S STORY WAS
QUITE IMPRESSIVE LONG BEFORE
THIS AMTRAK CRASH.
SHE HAD HER WHOLE LIFE PLANNED
OUT WHEN SHE WAS A HIGH SCHOOL
SOPHOMORE.
SOPHOMORE. SHE WAS GOING TO BE A COP JUST
LIKE HER DAD.
AND SHE WAS RIGHT ON TRACK
LIVING THAT DREAM UNTIL THAT
MORNING.
MORNING.
MORNING. >> 911, WHAT ARE YOU REPORTING?
>> TONS OF PEOPLE ARE HURT.
>> THE ACTUAL TRAIN CAR YOU SEE
THAT'S FLIPPED UPSIDE DOWN
UNDERNEATH THE BRIDGE IS THE ONE
THAT LANDED ON ME.
>> Reporter: YOU'VE SEEN HER CAR
BEFORE, BUT LIKELY HAVEN'T
NOTICED IT.
NOTICED IT. THAT KIA BELONGED TO TIFFANI
VINCENT.
VINCENT.
VINCENT. >> I WAS SEEING BLOOD RUN DOWN
AND DROP ON, LIKE, THE
DASHBOARD.
DASHBOARD. >> Reporter: SHE SURVIVED BUT
WILL NEVER FULLY RECOVER.
>> I'M 25 NEXT MONTH AND HAVE NO
IDEA WHAT I'M DOING WITH MY
LIFE.
LIFE.
LIFE. >>
LIFE. >> Reporter: AT 17 SHE ENLISTED
IN THE AIR FORCE.
>> ONE OF MY MAIN REASONS FOR
JOINING WAS FOR THE TRAVEL.
>> Reporter: SHE THOUGHT IT
WOULD BE THE BEST WAY TO SERVE
HER COUNTRY.
HER COUNTRY. >> I LOVE HELPING PEOPLE.
I LOVE SEEING THE ENVIRONMENT,
THE CAMARADERIE, ALL OF IT.
>> Reporter: FOR FIVE YEARS
STATIONED ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND
IN KOREA, SHE KNEW A 20-YEAR
MILITARY CAREER WOULD PREPARE
HER FOR A CIVILIAN JOB AS A
POLICE OFFICER.
POLICE OFFICER. >> WHEN I SAW THE TRAIN, I WAS,
LIKE, THAT'S WEIRD, THAT'S THE
FIRST TIME I'VE SEEN THAT.
>> Reporter: AFTER DROPPING HER
SISTER OFF AT SEA-TAC, VINCENT
WAS DRIVING HOME WHEN SHE
NOTICED THE AMTRAK PASSING HER.
SHE WAS GOING ALMOST 70.
SGLIFS, LIKE, THAT IS UNUSUAL.
THE NEXT THING I SPECIFICALLY
REMEMBER IS COMING UP TO THE
BRIDGE AND SEEING SOMETHING
LARGE AND WHITE OUT OF MY SIDE
VIEW.
VIEW.
VIEW. AND
VIEW. AND AS I GO TO TURN AND LOOK AT
IT, AND TRY AND MAKE IT OUT, I
DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING ELSE.
>> EMERGENCY.
>> EMERGENCY. EMERGENCY.
EMERGENCY. EMERGENCY.
EMERGENCY. WE ARE ON THE GROUND.
>> Reporter: SHE BLACKED OUT AND
WOKE UP SECONDS LATER.
>> SO I'M MOVING THE TOES,
MOVING THE FINGERS, YOU KNOW,
AND THAT'S WHEN I REALIZED THAT
SOMETHING WAS REALLY WRONG.
I REMEMBER GETTING A SHOOTING
PAIN UP MY BACK.
AND NOT BEING ABLE TO MOVE.
>> Reporter: SHE HAD BROKEN HER
BACK IN TWO PLACES.
DOCTORS SAID SHE MIGHT NEVER
WALK AGAIN.
WALK AGAIN. >> THE PROBLEM FOR ME IS FEELING
LIKE I'M TWICE MY AGE.
>> Reporter: BEDRIDDEN FOR SIXTH
MONTHS, IT WAS NINE MONTHS
BEFORE SHE WALKED AGAIN WITH
HELP.
HELP.
HELP. A
HELP. A YEAR LATER SHE STILL CANNOT
RUN OR DO SIT-UPS.
SO SHE'S UNFIT TO BE AN MP.
THE AIR FORCE IS MEDICALLY
DISCHARGING HER THIS SUMMER.
AND NO POLICE DEPARTMENT WILL
HIRE HER BECAUSE OF THOSE
INJURIES.
INJURIES.
INJURIES. >> THE WEIGHT ON MY SPINE AND
THEN THE AMOUNT OF GEAR THAT
RUBS UP AGAINST ALL OF THE
SCREWS THAT I HAVE IN MY BACK IS
BEYOND UNCOMFORTABLE.
BEYOND UNCOMFORTABLE. IT'S SOMETHING I COULDN'T BE
ABLE TO MAKE IT THROUGH A FULL
SHIFT OR A FULL DUTY DAY AND
STILL BE ABLE TO HELP PEOPLE.
>> THROUGH THEIR NEGLIGENCE,
THEY WERE GOING AT A WAY TOO
HIGH SPEED.
HIGH SPEED. >> Reporter: VINCENT HIRED
ATTORNEY TONY SHAPIRO AND IS
SUING AMTRAK FOR MILLIONS.
THE PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION
SUGGESTED THE TRAIN WAS GOING 78
MILES AN HOUR WHEN IT SHOULD
HAVE BEEN GOING 30.
WHILE SHE CAN'T BE A COP, SHE
STILL FEELS LIKE SHE CAN HELP
OTHERS BY HOLDING AMTRAK
RESPONSIBLE.
RESPONSIBLE. PERHAPS PREVENTING FUTURE
CRASHES.
CRASHES.
CRASHES. >> WHAT HAPPENED IS PART OF ME
NOW.
NOW.
NOW. YOU
NOW. YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THE UP SIDE
TO IT.
TO IT.
TO IT. >>
TO IT. >> SHE'S DEFINITELY GOT THE
RIGHT ATTITUDE.
RIGHT ATTITUDE. AMTRAK IS NOT COMMENTING ON THIS
LAWSUIT.
LAWSUIT.
LAWSUIT. BUT WE ARE EXPECTING TO HEAR
QUITE A BIT FROM THEM NEXT WEEK.
THAT'S BECAUSE NEXT TUESDAY THE
NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY
BOARD WILL ISSUE THE FINAL
REPORT AND ANALYSIS AS TO WHAT
HAPPENED AND PERHAPS WHY THIS
HAPPENED ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF
AGO.
AGO.
AGO. >>
AGO. >> WOW.
>> WOW.
>> WOW. >> WHAT DOES TIFFANI THINK
SHE'LL BE DOING ONCE SHE IS DONE
WITH THE AIR FORCE?
>> SHE DOESN'T KNOW.
SHE THINKS SHE MIGHT TRY BEING A
NURSE.
NURSE.
NURSE. SHE LIKED HELPING PEOPLE.
BUT THAT INVOLVES SCHOOLING AND
THAT INVOLVES PHYSICAL,
DEMANDING WORK.
DEMANDING WORK. AND SHE'S NOT SURE IF SHE CAN DO
IT.
IT.
IT. SHE
IT. SHE HAS A HARD TIME STANDING FOR
A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.
WE KNOW THAT'S WHAT A LOT OF
NURSES DO.
NURSES DO. AT THIS POINT SHE DOESN'T KNOW.
SHE'S STILL GETTING BETTER AND
HAS THE RIGHT ATTITUDE.
>> WILL THAT REPORT ASSIGN
BLAME?
BLAME?
BLAME? THE NTSB REPORT?
>> WE SPOKE WITH AN ATTORNEY
REPRESENTING OTHER PASSENGERS.
HE DOESN'T KNOW.
IT'LL