The cause of Friday’s train derailment in Fairfield County that injured more than 70 is still unknown. Investigators have been working since Friday to get to the root of the problem. National Transportation Safety Board investigators said they are in the beginning stages of their investigation, but there are some areas of the crash they are looking at my intensely.
Earl Weener with NTSB said a fracture was found in a section of the eastbound track that inspectors are closely looking into.
“It could have been caused by the accident itself or it could have been broken at the time of the accident or prior to the accident,” he said.
NTSB investigators said they have at least 10 teams looking into the Metro-North derailment. They have ruled out foul play.
A portion of the track will be reviewed and sent to a lab in Washington D.C. for analysis. Investigators will look at a number of things from data recorders on the train.
A lot is still unknown, but stories of heroic activity are shining through. Sen. Richard Blumenthal described Helen, a train conductor
who suffered a back injury but still managed to help passengers off.
“She knelt, bent lifted and carried, helped other passengers off the train,” he said.
As of Saturday evening a total of nine victims were still at either St. Vincent’s Medical Center or Bridgeport Hospital.
Metro-North train service will remain suspended between South Norwalk and New Haven until further notice. Amtrak service between New York and New Haven is also suspended.