7 injured passengers file lawsuits against Amtrak over Montana train derailment

7 injured passengers file federal lawsuits against Amtrak over Montana train derailment

Seven of the more than 50 passengers injured in an Amtrak train derailment in Montana last month have filed federal lawsuits accusing the rail line and the operator of the railroad tracks of negligence, saying the crash could have been prevented.

"Trains just don't derail by themselves," Sean Driscoll, a partner at Clifford Law Offices in Chicago and lead counsel for the plaintiffs, told ABC News on Tuesday.

The lawsuits were filed separately on Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Chicago on behalf of a Massachusetts couple, a Pennsylvania couple, an Indiana couple and a man from Montana. Driscoll said the plaintiffs aee not only recovering from their injuries but also coping with severe emotional and psychological traumas from the carnage they witnessed.

The train that crashed in Montana was carrying 146 passengers and 16 crew members when it derailed. Three passengers were killed.