PHILADELPHIA — Prosecutors said Amtrak engineer Brandon Bostian was “grossly negligent” in the fatal 2015 derailment of a Northeast Regional train during Friday’s opening arguments in the trial in Common Pleas Court.
WTXT-TV reports the long-delayed trial of the 38-year-old Bostian, at the controls for the May 12, 2015, accident that killed eight, saw the defense argue that “criminals” who threw rocks at other trains that day were responsible. Bostian, who saw charges against him dropped and reinstated twice, faces charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and causing a catastrophe from the derailment, which came after his train entered a 50-mph curve at 106 mph.
KYW-TV reports the prosecution said Bostian was distracted by radio conversation about rocks being thrown at a nearby SEPTA train, adding the SEPTA operator did his job properly and stopped the train while Bostian did not.
The trial began after Bostian on Thursday turned down a plea bargain deal that would have allowed him to enter a “no contest” plea to nine counts of reckless endangerment. The Philadephia Inquirer reports that Common Pleas Court Judge Barbara McDermott said that in exchange, all other charges — including the felony charge of causing a catastrophe — would be dropped. McDermott told Bostian that he was exposing himself to the potential of “more than a lifetime of incarceration” if he rejected it, but Bostian said he had considered the offer and decided against it.
Eight women and four men were selected to serve on the jury. The trial is expected to take about two weeks.
Disappointed that the union has abandoned their member in this case. What the union should politely tell the prosecution is, “Drop the charges and the trains run. Or, they never will again until they are.” Simple and direct.’