Teen paralyzed in Washington train derailment thanks good Samaritan
— -- Timmy Brodigan, 16, was critically injured in a deadly Amtrak train derailment in Washington state last month, but the teenager, currently paralyzed, said he is thankful to be alive.
“I kind of just wanted to thank the people that saved my life,” Brodigan said in an interview with ABC affiliate KOMO on Wednesday. “I really really appreciate it. I really do. That’s what I want to thank the most. The people that saved my life.”
Brodigan was on board Amtrak train #501 on Dec. 18, traveling to visit his cousins in Oregon, when the train derailed near Dupont, Washington, killing three people and injuring dozens more.
The train was reportedly traveling 80 mph in a 30-mph zone when it veered off of an overpass and onto a busy highway below, authorities said.
Speaking from his hospital bed in the intensive care unit of the Seattle Children’s Hospital in Washington, Brodigan said he could barely recall the details of the crash.
“I woke up with the train wobbling. And after that, I just don’t remember anything after that,” Brodigan said. “I blanked out.”
The teen’s parents, Robyn and Michael Brodigan, said a good Samaritan found their son in the train’s wreckage and alerted first responders. He was badly bruised and hanging upside down near a window of the train, they said.
Now, nearly 30 days later, Timmy Brodigan is slowly recovering, but he’s still suffering from a broken neck, fractured ribs, a head contusion and several other injuries, according to KOMO.
He is mostly paralyzed and requires a ventilator to breathe, but he said he is grateful to all the people who helped to save his life.
He also thanked everyone who’s donated to a Gofundme campaign, created on his behalf, to help with his recovery. It had raised about $59,000 as of Thursday morning.
“It’s meant a lot to me,” Timmy Brodigan said. “Thank you everyone. Everyone who’s been a part of this.”
