Amtrak stops paying medical bills those injured in February train crash in SC

Amtrak is refusing to pay any more for the medical bills of those injured in a February train crash in Cayce that killed two and injured 100-plus, lawyers for more than a dozen of those injured say.

"Folks that were injured, it's hard for them to get well by a specific deadline," said attorney Bob Pottroff, who said Monday that Amtrak had notified his clients that it would no longer pay medical claims as of May 1.

A preliminary National Transportation Safety Board investigation said in February that "human error" on the part of CSX railway employees caused the crash. However, Amtrak has assumed responsibility for paying medical claims for the injured, most passengers on its train, Pottroff said.

"I can tell you most of my clients, if not all, are still seeking medical treatment and trying to resolve issues that are relatively long term," said Pottroff, who represents about a dozen of those injured.

Jamie Holland, a Jacksonville, Fla., attorney, who represents several people injured in the crash, said he was contracted by Amtrak with the same message — no more payments for medical costs as of May 1.

However, an Amtrak spokeswoman told The State on Monday that Amtrak "continues to support" those injured in the crash. Asked whether that "support" includes money, the spokeswoman did not immediately reply.

Pottroff and Holland said the injuries their clients have suffered include traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress syndrome, broken bones and soft-tissue injuries. Clients will get compensation for their medical injuries through pending and future lawsuits, Pottroff said.

The NTSB's preliminary report said that, on the night of the crash, a CSX crew left a railroad switch in the wrong position, sending the Amtrak passenger train onto a side track where a CSX freight train was parked.

The train, the Amtrak Silver Star, was en route from New York to Miami with two crew members and 147 people on board when it collided with the empty CSX freight train at 2:35 a.m. on Feb. 4. Two Amtrak crew members were killed and 116 injured.

A final NTSB report is pending.

This story was originally published May 21, 2018 at 5:58 PM with the headline "Amtrak stops paying medical bills those injured in February train crash in SC."