US trying to determine if train driver was using phone

US investigators say they are still trying to determine whether an Amtrak engineer used his phone at the controls of the train in a deadly derailment in Philadelphia

Philadelphia: US investigators say they are still trying to determine whether an Amtrak engineer used his phone at the controls of the train in a deadly derailment in Philadelphia.

The National Transportation Safety Board said yesterday records show calls were made, texts were sent and data was used on Brandon Bostian's phone the day of the crash. They say they're comparing the timing of the phone activity with the locomotive's event recorder and radio communications and surveillance video.

Bostian's lawyer says he kept the phone in a bag, using it only to call for help afterward. The May 12 derailment killed 8 people and injured more than 200. Investigators are looking into why the Washington-to-New York train was going double the 50 mph (80 kph) limit around a sharp curve.

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