Gay Engineer and Activist Does Not Remembers Train Derailment
Mainstream media and online blogs have identified the engineer of the Amtrak train that derailed and killed at least 7 people and injured more than 200 Tuesday night in north Philadelphia as Brandon Bostian. The 32 year old engineer and the still unidentified train conductor survived the crash and were taken to a near hospital where Bostina was treated for a laceration to his head. He was briefly interviewed there by police, telling them he didn’t remember much, according to ABC 6. Bostina has since retained a lawyer and there are conflicting accounts as to whether he gave a blood sample and his cell phone to police or whether he declined to give a statement.
According to briefings by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Washington DC to New York City passenger train was traveling at a speed of 106 miles per hour as it entered a sharp turn, more than double the speed for that area. Amtrak has the “black box” which contains data about the speed, which indicate that Bostian applied the emergency brakes just before hitting the curve. The black box also has a forward-facing camera, but the NTSB has not yet officially released those images.
There were 238 passengers and five crew members aboard the train’s seven cars, some of which overturned and were ripped apart by the crash.
Bostian has become the subject of hatred and speculation by vile anti-gay bloggers, as Joe.My.God reports:
GotNews, which first reported his name, called him a “gay activist,” and many Twitter users have reacted negatively to his sexuality, claiming he may have been a “diversity” hire by the government-funded Amtrak.
GotNews is a far-right site run by the despicable Chuck C. Johnson, who is loathed even by some of his fellow wingnuts for his habit of trolling the victims of rape.
Bostian’s friends on Facebook, including from his “Amtrak family,” however, have been leaving him notes of well-wishes. Peggy Franklin Ammendola said: “You know, for me, Amtrack is synonymous with Brandon, and as soon as I saw the story this morning, my immediate thoughts were about you and continue to be.
Comments