A decade has elapsed since the deadly derailment of Amtrak train 188 in Philadelphia, and memories of the tragic event remain vivid among survivors and the legal community that fought for justice and rail safety reform. On the fateful day of May 12, 2015, the train careened off the tracks at 106 mph in the Port Richmond section, leaving eight dead and more than 200 injured. According to a report by NBC Philadelphia, not only was the train traveling at a velocity exceeding double the designated speed limit, but distractions caused by radio chatter about another train being struck contributed to the engineer’s fatal miscalculation.
Survivors like Geralyn Ritter, who recalled the harrowing moments during the incident in an interview with KYW Newsradio, were getting a book from her bag when the crash occurred. “The rocking got worse and I remember holding onto that baggage rail with both hands. And then I remember feeling like we were going around a curve, and I was leaning forward, and I remember very clearly thinking that it felt like we were tipping over,” she said. Despite the body’s yearning for equilibrium, such a feat was rendered impossible as the train flipped onto its side, prompting screams that fell silent only in unconsciousness or worse, death…