Brandon Bostian, Amtrak Engineer, Did Not Use Cell Phone While Operating Train Before Crash

Brandon Bostian, the Amtrak engineer who was manning the train that derailed in Philadelphia last month, was not using his cell phone prior to the tragic accident.

Amtrak Engineer Wasn’t Using Phone

On Wednesday, the National Transportation Safety Board released a statement that cleared Bostian of the suggestion that he could have been distracted by his phone before the train derailed last month, leading to the deaths of eight people and injuring 200 others.

“Analysis of the phone records does not indicate that any calls, texts, or data usage occurred during the time the engineer was operating the train,” read the statement. “Amtrak’s records confirm that the engineer did not access the train’s Wi-Fi system while he was operating the locomotive.”

The NTSB’s earlier findings confirmed that the train had accelerated to 106 mph prior to entering the curve, which has a 50 mph speed limit. Bostian hit the brakes a few seconds prior to the crash, but failed to drop the speed below 100 mph, which was the speed the train was traveling before it derailed.

Though Bostian survived the crash, he suffered injuries to his leg and to his head. Due to the head trauma, Bostian’s attorney Robert Goggin says that his client has been unable to remember exactly what happened in the moments leading up to the accident.

“He remembers driving the train,” Goggin told ABC News. “He remembers going to that area generally, [but] has absolutely no recollection of the incident or anything unusual. The next thing he recalls is being thrown around, coming to, finding his bag, getting his cell phone and dialing 911.”

Investigators still have not determined the cause of the accident, as no mechanical problems with the train have been found. As for the track, it had been inspected not long before the May accident.

Bostian first began working for Amtrak in 2006 as a conductor after graduating from the University of Missouri with a degree in business administration and management. He was promoted to engineer in 2010. The Memphis native was also briefly employed by commuter rail line Caltrain while living in San Francisco.