Former congressman Patrick Murphy kicked out a window on Amtrak train 188 after it derailed in Philadelphia en route to New York to help passengers flee the deadly crash.
Murphy was a passenger on the train when it derailed in northeast suburban Philadelphia on Tueday night, killing at least seven people and injuring more than 200.
"People were crying and screaming," the former congressman representing Pennsylvania’s 8th District told MSNBC anchor Lawrence O'Donnell on Tuesday night.
Murphy, who himself is an anchor on MSNBC's "Taking the Hill," told O’Donnell he was in the train’s café car when the train derailed. His train car flipped over, careening off the rails and onto its side.
— Patrick J. Murphy (@PatrickMurphyPA) May 13, 2015
@Amtrak @msnbc @NBCNews pray for these passengers. pic.twitter.com/mksZNy7eqo
— Patrick J. Murphy (@PatrickMurphyPA) May 13, 2015
Im on @Amtrak train that just crashed. Im ok. Helping others. Pray for those injured.
— Patrick J. Murphy (@PatrickMurphyPA) May 13, 2015 U.S. & World
He was thrown against a window, his shoulder hit another passenger and the train immediately filled with dust, he said.
“It wobbled at first and then went off the tracks,” Murphy said. “There were some pretty banged-up people. One guy next to me was passed out.”
[NATL] Dramatic Images: Amtrak Train Derails in Philadelphia
A few people were injured to the point where they could not move, and one person was carted out of the train.
Murphy said he helped passengers escape his car by kicking out the window in the top of the train car. The doors were inaccessible because the train car was on its side, Murphy said.
Murphy said emergency personnel arrived at the scene within eight to nine minutes after the derailment. A number of off-duty Philadelphia emergency personnel responded to the scene from their homes nearby, Murphy said.
The Northeast Regional train was carrying 238 passengers and five crew members from Washington, D.C., to New York City Tuesday night when it derailed.
