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u.s. news Diasabra 5 Maart 2022

Amtrak engineer acquitted in 2015 derailment that killed 8

(AP) — A jury cleared an to prison for years, or even erated resulted in death and
Amtrak engineer Friday for life, if convicted, given injury to his passengers,” the
of all charges stemming the high number of counts state Attorney General’s Of-
from a derailment that against him. fice said in a statement, add-
left eight people dead ing that it pursued the case to
and hundreds injured in “It’s been seven years for him seek justice for victims and
Philadelphia in 2015, con- wondering if he’ll ever get his their families. “Ultimately,
cluding that his operation life back. Today the jury gave the jury did not find his ac-
of the train at more than him his life back,” defense tions to be criminal, and we
twice the speed limit on lawyer Brian McMonagle respect the jury’s verdict.”
a curve didn’t constitute said after the verdict. “We’ve
criminal negligence. been saying from the begin- A year later, Amtrak settled
ning there was never a crime lawsuits over the crash for
The jury took just over an committed here by Bran- $265 million, a new, higher
hour to acquit Brandon Bos- don.” limit set by Congress after
tian, 38, of causing a catastro- the crash.
phe, involuntary manslaugh- In closing arguments, Mc-
ter and reckless endanger- Monagle said the criminal tigued or using his cellphone was enough but said she Philadelphia’s top prosecu-
ment — one count for each actors in the case were those at the time. would consider the issue af- tor declined to pursue crimi-
injury and death. Amtrak had who threw the rocks at the ter taking a jury verdict. The nal charges. The Attorney
earlier settled civil litigation train ahead. They were never The key question for the jury point now appears moot. General’s Office later took
over the crash for $265 mil- apprehended. was whether Bostian — who the case to trial, after some
lion. no longer works for Am- Prosecutors say Bostian acted victims’ families pressed for
The train rounded a curve at Federal safety investigators trak — sped up intention- with reckless disregard for charges.
about 106 mph, more than concluded that Bostian lost ally, knowing the risks — the the safety of his passengers,
twice the speed limit, before what they call “situational threshold required for crimi- who were traveling from The jury had begun weighing
it derailed in north Philadel- awareness” on the track, nal negligence. Washington to New York the charges Friday morning
phia. thinking he was past an S- that Tuesday evening. The when the judge announced
curve and on a straightaway The case has a long legal his- train had stopped at Phila- around noon that an alter-
Bostian’s lawyer described when he accelerated from tory, with judges debating delphia’s 30th Street station nate would step in because
him as a lifelong train buff about 65 mph to 106 mph. In whether Bostian’s actions about 10 minutes earlier and one juror had experienced a
who had a perfect work re- fact, he was in the middle of constituted a crime. Com- was heading north. death in the family. The jury
cord until he was distracted the S-curve and going more mon Pleas Judge Barbara then began its deliberations
by people throwing rocks in than twice the 50 mph speed McDermott, who presided “There is no question that from the start.
the area just before the crash. limit. Investigators found no at the seven-day trial, ques- the excessive speed of the
He could have been sent evidence he was impaired, fa- tioned whether the evidence train that the defendant op-

Florida poised to limit abortions as Supreme Court mulls Roe

(AP) — Gov. Ron DeSan- Goodhue, executive direc- incest or human trafficking. to allow exemptions for rape,
tis on Friday said he would tor of the Florida Alliance of Supporters said it’s not a to- incest or human trafficking. GOP lawmakers in West Vir-
sign a 15-week abortion Planned Parenthood Affili- tal ban and still gives wom- ginia and Arizona have intro-
ban into law after Flori- ates, adding that the passage en enough time to consider “It’s not OK to force some- duced 15-week abortion bans
da’s legislature joined the of the bill signals that “your whether to get an abortion. one who’s been sexually as- similar to the Mississippi law.
trend of Republican-led right to bodily autonomy de- They also called it reasonably saulted and impregnated to Republicans in other states
states anticipating a U.S. pends on where you live.” limited, saying state statistics carry that pregnancy to term have modeled legislation af-
Supreme Court decision show only 6% of Florida’s if they don’t want too, it’s ter a Texas law, which the
that could sharply limit The state currently allows abortions last year occurred just not,” Book said. “And if Supreme Court allowed to
abortion rights in Ameri- abortions up to 24 weeks of after the first trimester, or af- a woman or a girl needs more stand pending appeals, that
ca. pregnancy, with no excep- ter the 11th week. Of these, than 15 weeks to decide, we effectively bans abortions af-
tions thereafter for victims of 17 women and girls had been should be able to give that to ter six weeks.
DeSantis, a Republican, told rape or incest, according to impregnated through rape or her.”
reporters at a news confer- the Guttmacher Institute. incest. White House officials hosted
ence in Jacksonville that “I When the bill passed the a roundtable discussion with
think that we’ll be able to sign The Florida bill contains “The only thing that we’re GOP-controlled House last abortion rights advocates and
that in short order,” a day af- exceptions if the abortion is asking in this bill is that what- month, Republican Rep. Democratic state lawmakers
ter the GOP-controlled state- necessary to save a mother’s ever decision you make, you Dana Trabulsy told lawmak- on Thursday about the Flor-
house approved the bill fol- life or prevent serious in- do it before the 15 weeks,” ers she previously had an ida bill as well as Republican
lowing a series of emotional jury to the mother, or if the said Republican Sen. Ileana abortion but has “regretted it restrictions in other states,
debates that often veered into fetus has a fatal abnormality Garcia. everyday since.” expressing a commitment to
painful, personal stories. confirmed by two doctors. It “exploring every option to
would go into effect July 1, Some lawmakers revealed “This is the right to life and protect reproductive health
Republicans across the coun- 2022. their own abortions and ex- to give up life is unconscio- care.”
try are moving to replicate periences with sexual as- nable to me,” she said.
a 15-week abortion ban in The passage of the legislation sault as the measure moved
Mississippi that the Supreme has drawn attention from the through the GOP-controlled
Court seems poised to up- White House, with Demo- statehouse.
hold this summer. If the court cratic President Joe Biden
weakens or overturns Roe v. responding in a tweet that Sen. Lauren Book, a Demo-
Wade, Florida could be less said “My administration will crat who turned the pain of
of a destination for women not stand for the continued being sexually abused by her
throughout the South whose erosion of women’s constitu- nanny into a career of helping
states have more restrictive tional rights.” other survivors, tearfully re-
abortion laws. vealed she was also drugged
Republicans rejected sev- and raped by multiple men
“Access to care in the South is eral attempts by Democrats when she was a young teen-
being decimated,” said Laura to add exceptions for rape, ager. She implored senators