NTSB on Philadelphia Amtrak crash: 'Loss of awareness can take a terrible toll'

WASHINGTON, May 16 (UPI) -- A train wreck that killed eight people and injured another 159 in Philadelphia last year was likely the result of the engineer being distracted by radio communications, investigators concluded.

The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday announced the results from its yearlong investigation. The body determined distraction and other factors, like safety hardware not being turned on, were the causes of the deadly crash.

NTSB investigators determined engineer Brandon Bostian was sober as he allowed the commuter train to go into a sharp turn at more than twice the speed limit. Bostian said he was concerned about a radio report that rocks were being thrown at a commuter trains, forcing one of them to stop.

"It is a world in which the engineer relies in part on the memorized details of the route and a world in which a loss of awareness can take a terrible toll," NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart said Tuesday.

Also, had the Positive Train Control system been utilized, the train would have automatically slowed down before it reached the turn.

"If PTC was in place on Frankford Junction on May 12, 2015, we would not be here today," Ted Turpin, an NTSB investigator, said.

The NTSB recommendations include better training for Amtrak and more consistent mass-casualty preparedness for the city of Philadelphia and its first responders.

The agency also recommended the Federal Railroad Administration determine if having two engineers on each train would lead to better safety.