An Amtrak train struck and killed three family members on Thursday night who were on the tracks in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, delaying service between Philadelphia and New York for hours.
The incident occurred at around 6:10 pm near Bristol Station, by Prospect and Beaver streets, and involved a train that was traveling from Boston to Richmond, Virginia, per the New York Daily News. Local authorities had received a call at around 5:58 pm about a group of people on the tracks.
Bristol Borough Police Department Chief Joe Moors said, "When our officers arrived, the sergeant was starting to head up to the subjects up on the railroad tracks when an Accela high-speed train traveling southbound towards Philadelphia struck all three subjects that were up on the track."
Law enforcement sources told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the victims were a father and his two sons. Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia said that one of the three people killed was Christopher Cramp, a project coordinator in Bucks County’s Housing and Community Development department, who was described as a "beloved" employee of the county.
"This is truly devastating to the people of Bristol, to employees that worked with Chris in the county and to so many unnamed people whose life he changed," Marseglia said.
No injuries were reported among the 236 passengers aboard the train, and all were transported to nearby stations on buses. The incident caused hours-long delays along the Northeast Corridor, the nation's busiest train line, with service being temporarily suspended between Philadelphia and New York. At around 10:45 pm, Amtrak announced that service would be continuing, but restricted speeds would be imposed.