Klamath Falls man suing Amtrak after suffering injury in Montana derailment

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. —A Klamath Falls man is suing Amtrak, after being hurt on the train that derailed in Montana last month, killing 3 people. The man is also suing BNSF railway, the company that owns and maintains the tracks.

Justin Ruddell boarded the train in Chicago to head back home to Klamath Falls. He says he was headed to the bathroom when suddenly the train jolted and veered onto its side.

“I thought I was going to die, in the shock of panic, somehow through the sheer will to survive, I was able to climb out of there. Had I not held as tightly I would have been crushed by the train,” said Ruddell.

Volunteers were able to get Ruddell into an ambulance and he was taken to a nearby hospital. He says he suffered two broken vertebrae in his back and five broken ribs.

The law firm he’s working with says it’s representing a handful of passengers who were on that train.

The video above was provided by Clifford Law Offices.

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Jenna King is the 6pm and 11pm anchor for NBC5 News. Jenna is a Burbank, CA native. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Sports Business. During her time at Oregon she was part of the student-run television station, Duck TV. She also grew her passion for sports through her internship with the PAC 12 Network. When Jenna is not in the newsroom you can find her rooting for her hometown Dodgers, exploring the outdoors or binging on the latest Netflix release.
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