Lawsuits filed days after deadly Missouri Amtrak crash

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The first lawsuits have been filed following an Amtrak train collision and derailment in rural Missouri that killed four people and injured up to 150 others. Surviving passenger Janet Williams of Dubuque, Iowa, filed a federal lawsuit Friday naming Amtrak, BNSF Railway and MS Contracting, the employer of the dump truck driver who died when his vehicle was struck. The complaint alleges negligent design of the railroad crossing, and says the train was packed with too many riders. The Kansas City Star reports that Amtrak and BNSF sued MS Contracting Thursday, saying the train was “clearly visible.” Truck driver Billy Barton II died in the collision, along with three passengers. Barton’s widow sued Chariton County and a BNSF official on Thursday.