55 Hurt as ‘Silver Meteor’ Derails, Razes 2 Houses

An Amtrak train left the track and tore through two houses Tuesday, injuring 55 people and leaving train cars jackknifed across a street, authorities said.

The Silver Meteor was carrying about 170 passengers and a crew of 16 from New York City to Tampa when it derailed, authorities said. The six most seriously injured people were flown by helicopter to out-of-town hospitals; 49 others were treated at Putnam Community Hospital.

It was not immediately clear what caused the derailment. Some witnesses said they thought the train was speeding. Police Chief Dan Thies said it would be up to federal investigators to determine the speed of the train and the cause of the wreck.

The engine came to rest partially inside one house, which was demolished. A second house was smashed as two of the eight passenger cars jackknifed and tore through a wall. No one was inside either house.

Doretha Dean had just walked across the street when the train hit her house. Her family also was out at the time.

“Everything is gone. I have no idea what I’m going to do,” she said. “It’s a mess, a real mess.”

Ed Overton of New York City was sitting in the lounge car when it plowed through Mrs. Dean’s home.

“There was no warning. The car shook for a second, but it seemed like a half hour. I saw people bouncing around. We went right into the house,” Overton said.

The train derailed about three blocks from the depot in Palatka, in northeast Florida. It had left New York on Monday.