Expert: New route may have distracted engineer before crash

SEATTLE (AP) — Experts say it's possible the engineer on an Amtrak train that derailed as it hurtled into a curve at more than twice the speed limit was distracted for an extended period of time before the train plunged off an overpass and onto a busy interstate, a key factor in the investigation.

Authorities worked Wednesday to reopen that vital highway ahead of the holiday travel rush as federal investigators focused on whether the engineer's attention was diverted by a second person in the cab, or by something else.

Three men were killed Monday south of Seattle when the train barreled into a 30 mph zone at 80 mph. Southbound lanes of Interstate 5 near DuPont have been closed at the accident ever since.