DEARBORN, Mich. (WXYZ) — Hundreds of passengers were stranded for hours without power, air conditioning or working bathrooms when an Amtrak train from Chicago to Dearborn experienced a mechanical failure Friday evening.
The train stopped near Battle Creek, turning what should have been a few-hour journey into at least a 12-hour ordeal for frustrated travelers.
Watch the video report below:
"It felt like a scene from like a horror movie, especially as it starts to get dark and you realize you're on the middle of nowhere," said Sapna Patel, who was traveling from Chicago to visit family in Canton.
Passengers reported dangerous conditions during the extended delay, including one woman who fainted early in the ordeal.
Watch viewer video of the Amtrak incident below:
“We’re talking about panic attacks, we’re talking about heat exhaustion," Patel said when listing the injuries.
After hours of being stranded on the tracks, the light on the train eventually gave out and passengers were stranded in the dark. They were then forced to jump from the train to the ground about 4 feet due to inoperable stairs.
"An older man, he completely fell down and hurt himself," said Lucie Harmon, a passenger from Monroe, who witnessed people trying to exit the train.
The hundreds of travelers then had to walk about half a mile with their luggage in the middle of the night to reach waiting buses. Some reported damaged luggage and extreme exhaustion by the time they finally reached their destinations in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Two passengers have since filed a notice of intent to sue Amtrak over what they describe as "inhumane conditions" during the incident.
Amtrak has confirmed that all passengers will receive full refunds for their tickets. To claim a refund, passengers need to open a case with customer relations through the online chat or by calling 1-800-USA-RAIL.
Harmon believes more should be done to address the situation.
"Amtrak needs to change their safety procedures, they need refund everybody — which thank goodness they are — and they should have to pay for people's expenses," Harmon said.
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