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Five sue driver of trash truck struck by GOP train near Charlottesville in 2018

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Two years after a train carrying Republican members of Congress collided with a garbage truck, five passengers have filed lawsuits against the driver, trash company and train conductor.

Dana Naylor Jr., 32, was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter after a trial in which authorities alleged he drove a garbage truck onto train tracks on Jan. 31, 2018. The collision killed trash company employee Chris Foley and severely injured another passenger in the truck.

Naylor has been targeted by at least eight lawsuits since the crash.

The five most recent lawsuits — filed last month — were all brought by passengers, but none of them are legislators. None of the lawsuits describe specific injuries or name the complainants’ job positions.

The chartered Amtrak train was carrying dozens of Republican members of Congress to a retreat in West Virginia when it crashed.

The Daily Progress reports that the five mostly identical lawsuits allege negligence.

The suits’ claims largely follow a National Transportation Safety Board report from last year that found Naylor drove the truck around lowered crossing gate arms and onto the tracks, where it was struck by the train.

Four lawsuits allege that the conductor took too long to engage the brake, waiting until the train was just a few seconds away from the trash truck.

Trump announces a $22.5B makeover of Dulles airport that will eliminate the ‘people movers’

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a $22.5 billion renovation of Washington Dulles International Airport that will end the use of the widely disliked “people movers,” the mobile lounges that have been used for decades to shuttle travelers to and from the main terminal. In place of the people movers, the airport will add a new U-shaped passenger train, a central walking tunnel, more moving walkways and new concourses. An above-ground parking garage closer to the main terminal with space for 32,000 vehicles is also in the offing, according to Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The airport makeover would add to a long list of renovation projects the Republican president is pursuing to leave a lasting mark on the Washington region after his term ends in January 2029. Among other undertakings, he is building a new White House ballroom and wants to build a towering triumphal arch near the Lincoln Memorial. But of all the construction projects Trump is pursuing, the renovations at Dulles could prove to be his most popular and benefit the greatest number of people. The airport, the area’s primary international airport, served roughly 29 million passengers over the past year, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
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