Amtrak engineer must face trial for 2015 derailment, judge rules

Source: Reuters

#U.S. FEBRUARY 6, 2018 / 2:33 PM / UPDATED 4 HOURS AGO

(Reuters) - A Philadelphia judge on Tuesday ruled that the engineer at the throttle of an Amtrak train during a deadly derailment in 2015 must face criminal charges, overturning another judge who had dismissed them, prosecutors said.

Judge Kathryn Streeter Lewis reinstated charges, including involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment, against the engineer, Brandon Bostian, after finding that the previous decision was wrong, prosecutors said. She did not give a reason for her ruling.

A second Philadelphia judge, Thomas Gehret, threw out criminal charges against Bostian last September, finding that the evidence suggested the crash that killed eight people and injured more than 200 was an accident, not the result of a criminal act.

Even though the Philadelphia district attorney’s office had dropped the matter, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro appealed a month later, leading to Tuesday’s ruling.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-train-derailment/amtrak-engineer-must-face-trial-for-2015-derailment-judge-rules-idUSKBN1FQ2TK