A passenger who was severely injured when a train derailed outside of Dupont, Wash., filed a lawsuit against Amtrak Friday in King County Superior Court.
Aaron Harris, 26, was traveling from his home in Seattle to Portland when the train derailed on a sharp curve and dove off an overpass, killing three passengers and injuring dozens more.
He suffered a traumatic brain injury as well as vertebrae and rib fractures, and spent about 10 days in the intensive care and acute care units at Harborview Medical Center, according to his lawyers.
The brain injury left him agitated and in pain, so Harris spent days strapped down to a bed to prevent him from removing his breathing and feeding tubes and I.V.
He is now staying with his parents and receiving ongoing care and treatment. He has not been able to return to his job and his long-term prognosis is unclear.
"Aaron is an exceptional young man – an All-American lacrosse player, manager of a wellness facility, and very active in the outdoor community – and now because of Amtrak's catastrophic mistakes, his life is consumed with overcoming a traumatic brain injury," said Robert Gellatly of the Luvera Law Firm in Seattle, the attorneys for Harris and several other victims in the crash. "The accident was so horrific that Aaron doesn't remember anything about it, but we will help his family find out exactly what caused the derailment and work to prevent this needless tragedy from happening again."
