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American Morning
Interview With Kermitt Tyler
Aired July 30, 2002 - 07:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: More now on the derailment of Amtrak's Capitol Limited just outside of Washington. The train jumped the tracks yesterday afternoon, just minutes from its final destination.
About 100 people were injured, six of them critically. And many other passengers were badly shaken.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of a sudden, we just started moving. We fell through the door on the other side. We didn't know what happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: Fire and rescue workers helped passengers escape, pulling some from the windows of overturned cars.
Kermitt Taylor (ph) helped rescue a little girl from the train. He joins us now this morning from Kensington, Maryland.
Good to have you with us, sir -- thank you very much for your time this morning.
KERMITT TYLER, RESCUER: Good morning. How are you doing?
ZAHN: I am fine, thanks.
What took you to the scene of the derailment yesterday?
TYLER: I was just at the scene visiting a couple of friends down there, and at the time I heard the brakes squeaking, I saw the trains come off the track. And I heard a young lady -- it sounded like that somebody was yelling -- was yelling to help them. And I ran down the hill and the trees where the path was, and I looked in the trees, and I didn't see nobody. And then I heard the scream again, and I went around the trees and went down the hill, and saw a little girl hanging out of the train.
ZAHN: Was she badly injured?
TYLER: No, she was not badly injured. Her leg was caught in the window, and then I helped her out, and then I took her up to the hill and a police officer attended to her. And then I had a -- I went back down and helped her grandfather out, who had a bloody head, and I think it was her brother. And then one -- and then I helped the Indian lady out. And I couldn't help another lady out, because she was just too far down in the train, and I told her, I'm sorry, I can't help you. And by the time I did that -- said that, then here come the rescue squad.
ZAHN: So before the rescue squad got there, describe how you found the car? Was this one of those cars that was absolutely flat on its side?
TYLER: Yes, it was flat on its side. The windows was hanging -- if the train was standing straight up, one of the windows -- one side of the windows was hanging down towards the ground, and the other side of the window was facing up towards the sky.
ZAHN: What did you hear?
TYLER: I just heard a bunch of commotion and a bunch of -- crash, and you know, dirt and dust accumulating and the trees falling.
ZAHN: Yes, one rescue worker described it as a very difficult situation, because trees lined both sides of the track, and then you had that hill you just described.
What else should people know about how treacherous it was to get out of there?
TYLER: It was very difficult. It's -- you know, after the rescue of helping the young lady and everything else, after that, seeing the rescue squad and everything, it was very difficult for the firefighters to apprehend everybody else, so they did a good job on that. And you know, the way the wreck was, it was amazing that no one was dead in that car, because that car was separated from all of the rest of the cars -- that only single one.
ZAHN: Yes. I was thinking the same thing when I saw those pictures. It's almost a miracle no one was killed.
We understand in addition to you, there were other -- dozens of other volunteers, some local people who brought in shopping carts full of water to help the injured. What else did you see in terms of the volunteer effort?
TYLER: Yes, after the -- you know, they came, I started helping them with water and making sure they had enough fluids and everything else. And the people in the KenGar neighborhood did respond very well. People was bringing water and juices out of their house, out of their own home, napkins, towels, it just seemed like the whole neighborhood just started helping out very quickly and very fast.
ZAHN: Have you had any contact with the little girl you helped rescue?
TYLER: No, I haven't. I came back up later after everything calmed down, and didn't find her or her grandfather or her mother or her dad. I don't know her name or nothing. I just know she is probably around about 9 or 10 years old. And the last thing I got told was when the rescue squad came, the fire engines, and a guy told me I was nuts for going underneath that train.
ZAHN: Well, you weren't so nuts after all. You certainly comforted a little girl whose ankle was twisted in the window of that downed car. Kermitt Taylor (ph), we -- Tyler -- excuse me -- we salute you this morning, and all of the others who got on the scene so quickly to help in advance of the rescue crews getting there.
TYLER: Well, I just...
ZAHN: Appreciate your time this morning.
TYLER: Yes, I just hope someone would do that for my kids.
ZAHN: I think...
TYLER: That's the only thing that matters to me.
ZAHN: I think we all have the same thought when we watched what you did yesterday.
TYLER: All right.
ZAHN: Thank you again, Kermitt -- good luck to you.
TYLER: You have a good day.
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