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Sen. Toomey Recounts His Visit To Train Derailment Scene With WPHT's Rich Zeoli

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey recounted his visit to the scene of the Amtrak train derailment where investigators and crews continue working to ascertain an explanation for the disaster.

Toomey told Rich Zeoli on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT that he was taken aback upon seeing the site of the crash.

 

"I don't know how to describe it, except, just a horrific and heartbreaking scene. You look at the trains, several of the cars are not recognizable as cars anymore. Honestly, it's a miracle that as many people survived as did."

He praised the job done by first responders for the fast work they did to save lives and pull people from danger.

"We see it time and time again. Our police officers, our firefighters, our emergency personnel, they risk their own safety, they take great personal risks to protect the rest of us. They did it here. They were on the scene within just a few minutes helping people to evacuate these trains, endangering themselves, crawling through the trains to find and rescue people as they could."

Toomey also pointed out the work done by Michael Nutter in organizing the response to the crash.

"Mayor Nutter and his team have done an excellent job coordinating this process. I spoke with all of the various agencies that are involved and everybody said that the cooperation was excellent. It was very professional. Everybody was prepared for the job they needed to do."

 

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