Black employee dies in Amtrak train derailment

Jet, Oct 30, 1995

Mitchell Bates, 58, an Amtrak sleeping car attendant, was the only person killed recently when an Amtrak train derailed near Phoenix, AZ. About 100 people were injured.

Ironically, in February 1994, Bates had survived the big earthquake that shook Los Angeles and virtually destroyed the apartment building where he resided (Jet, Feb. 14, 1994).

Investigators said the crash happened becuse the tracks the train was traveling on had been tampered with. The saboteur or saboteurs left at least two notes near the derailment sight. The notes said the crash was in retaliation against the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and local police, federal law enforcement sources said in the Washington Post.

Amtrak officials said someone unscrewed six heavy bolts and removed a connecting joint between two 39-foot lengths of track at a spot near Hyder, AZ. An electrical signal cable was also rewired, preventing danger signals from being sent to the oncoming train. The 12-car train, carrying 248 passengers and 20 crew members, was bound for Los Angeles.

Funeral services for Bates were scheduled to be held in Lexington, KY, where Bates was a native. A memorial service for Bates was also held at Union Station in Los Angeles. A minute of silence was observed throughout the Amtrak system during the memorial. Bates had worked at Amtrak for 20 years.