10 Years After the Amtrak Train 188 Deadly Derailment, Trial Lawyers Remember the Victims, Urge Enhanced Transportation Safety

Philadelphia, PA (May 11, 2025) – For most commuters, including passenger rail commuters, Monday, May 12th, will be just another start of the work week. But for many others, especially those who lost family members (eight passengers were killed and more than 200 injured) in the May 12, 2015, Amtrak Train 188 derailment in Philadelphia, Monday marks a solemn 10-year milestone; it will be a day of remembrance, reflection and calls for enhanced transportation safety measures to protect passengers, workers, and the public. Leading Philadelphia trial lawyers Thomas R. Kline, of Kline & Specter, and Robert J. Mongeluzzi, of Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky, and their firms jointly represented many of the plaintiffs in the historic litigation that followed the incident, vividly remember that day, and the months and years that followed fighting for justice – in court houses and Congress – and rail safety reforms.

We pause to remember the eight who died in the Amtrak 188 Derailment. May their memory forever be a blessing:

• Abid Gilani 55, Virginia, bank executive
• Dr. Derrick Griffith 42, Brooklyn, NY, dean of student affairs & enrollment management
• Justin Zemser 20, Queens, NY, Midshipman, U.S. Naval Academy
• Rachel Jacobs 39, Philadelphia, CEO of a Philadelphia educational software company
• Jim Gaines 48, Plainsboro, NJ, Associated Press video software architect
• Bob Gildersleeve, Jr. 45, Maryland, environmental services company executive
• Laura Finamore 47, Queens, NY, national real estate company managing director
• Giuseppe Piras 41, Sardinia, olive oil merchant

Mr. Mongeluzzzi said, “We are honored to have been part of the extraordinary legal team of Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky, Kline & Specter and Morelli Law, as we fought for justice for these victims, an increase in the monetary cap on recoveries against Amtrak and the requirement that all Amtrak trains be equipped with positive train control which would have prevented this and many other railroad derailments. That joint effort culminated in a $265 million settlement, the largest recovery in a train accident ever, the raising of the Amtrak cap to $295 million and the accelerated acceptance and installation of positive train control that has and will save countless lives and injuries. However , eight lives were lost forever. The catastrophic injuries many of the survivors suffered will last a lifetime. While the accident and the litigation it spawned may have a positive impact on subsequent train safety , the cost of lives and devastating lifelong injuries came at a steep price. Today we remember these victims and continue our fight to make our world a safer place.”

Mr. Kline added, “On the tenth anniversary of this tragedy, we are thinking of the families and individuals who we represented who suffered unimaginable grief and for so long as a result of this preventable tragedy. We honor the memory of those who were lost, support their families and those still healing, and carry all of their stories of courage, heartbreak, and resilience with us still today. We are hopeful that lessons have been learned and changes implemented to prevent a similar tragedy from ever happening again. Safety in public transportation is paramount, and we will continue to commit ourselves as lawyers to do our part and seeking accountability when it is necessary to do so.”

Mr. Morelli, looking back, said, “The efforts of our three firms were paramount in resolving this litigation, without individual trials, which allowed the victims and their families to get some closure without having to relive the tragedy. We understand that if the money was spent by Amtrak to have Positive Train Control, the accident never would have happened, eight lives never would have been lost, and the other victims’ lives never would have been changed forever. We need to continue the fight for safety in public transportation, and to make sure that money over safety does not continue to be Amtrak’s legacy.”

Daniel Armyn was among the injured plaintiffs-survivors, and he says that 10 years later he is still scarred, physically and emotionally.

“I’m thankful every day to have survived, and that I’ve mostly recovered from the physical injuries, but the PTSD is still very real and endless,” he said from Brunetti’s, his family’s Westhampton Beach, Long Island restaurant. “I think about the derailment whenever I set foot on any form of transportation, or when my wife or our two kids board a plane or a train. My shattered bones mended after months of being homebound, but my then thriving design & advertising business, NewBreed, was fractured. I can never get out of my head that the derailment was preventable.”

Contacts:
Thomas R. Kline / tom.kline@klinespecter.com / 215-407-1360
Robert J. Mongeluzzi / rmongeluzzi@smbb.com / 215-850-6571
Hank Grezlak / hank.grezlak@klinespecter.com / 215-792-5566
Steph Rosenfeld / steph@idadvisors.com / 215-514-4101