Amtrak's Sunset Limited Accident: LS312 Unit 4 Case Study Analysis

This case study analyzes the Amtrak Sunset Limited accident, which occurred on September 22, 1993, involving the derailment of the train, resulting in fatalities and injuries. It identifies key stakeholders, including Amtrak, passengers, and regulatory bodies, and their respective interests. The study examines Amtrak's corporate social responsibility (CSR) before and after the accident, highlighting environmental efforts, ethical labor practices, and community involvement. The analysis points to communication and experience issues, and recommends suspending transport during adverse weather and ensuring proper training for equipment operation. The case emphasizes the shared responsibility of various entities in improving safety and adhering to regulations, with the ultimate goal of enhancing social responsibility and safety policies.

Running head: LS312 UNIT4 AMTRAK CASE STUDY 1
LS312 Unit4 Amtrak Case Study
Name
Institutional Affiliation

LS312 UNIT4 AMTRAK CASE STUDY 2
LS312 UNIT4 AMTRAK CASE STUDY
Introduction
The only passenger train of Amtrak Corporation, the Sunset Limited, stood traveling in
the morning of 22/09/1993 from New Orleans via Mobile River. The train bumped into Big
Bayou Canot at 2:53 AM thereby knocking out the alignment. It derailed and killed 47 individual
and injured several other individuals. A car got immersed in water while the other one caught
fire on Mobile River.
Stakeholders:
Various stakeholders exist with Amtrak being primary stakeholder. Other stakeholders
include the passengers and the employers of Sunset Limited, Warrior and Gulf Regulation
(WGN), National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB), Chesapeake System Railroads
(CSX), US Coast Guard, Maubilla captain, alongside personnel, as well as the Alabama
Emergency Response Network.
Stakeholders’ Interest
The main interest of all stakeholders was a safe travel, and crewmembers’ interest was
never to have anything amiss that might financially cost them. Amtrak Corporation, the Maubilla
pilot, Sunset Limited captain, and every worker had an economic interest because of his or her
particular job. Amtrak further had the financial and business interest alongside the WGN, CSX
and the Maubilla. The passengers had the interest to travel comfortably and inexpensively. The
community (areas and cities where the train follows) was excited since the train brought them
many customers, which enhanced their interests in businesses and profit.
CSR

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Being a primary stakeholder, Amtrak had biggest CRS to its stakeholders before the
accident (Rabinowitz, 2016). This is because even though different corporations, organizations,
and companies were involved in such a tragic accident, ultimately, it was the passenger train
(Sunset Limited) of Amtrak that subsequently derailed. According to Cambridge Dictionary
(2017), CSR is defined as the willingness and interest of the Company to assist the environment
and society.
Post (2017) held that corporations sub-divide social responsibilities in various
classification, including philanthropies, environmental efforts alongside ethical labor-practices
besides volunteering. Environmental attempts concentrate on the environment via the carbon
footprint reduction, whereas philanthropy involves the corporations donating to local and
national charities alongside local communities’ programs. The ethical labor-practices stress on
the treatment of the employee of the Company ethically and fairly while adhering to labor laws,
whereas volunteering involves corporations volunteering to events to demonstrate the interest in
various concerns of the community.
Before Accident
Amtrak Corporation had the environmental responsibilities to lower footprint of carbon.
It further had responsibilities for enforcing ethical labor-practices alongside make sure that
workers stood safeguarded by every relevant labor regulations alongside laws. Volunteering as
well as philanthropies responsibilities held beside remain part of the Amtrak.
After Accident
Following this wreck, Amtrak Corporation sustained to have similar CSR, however, this
time, Amtrak had more to do to make sure that each stakeholder received suitable mechanism of
dealing with the accidents’ aftermaths. The corporations involved are currently accountable for

LS312 UNIT4 AMTRAK CASE STUDY 4
all legal aftermaths as well as stood accountable for compensating the individuals affected by
such an ill-fated accident. The Amtrak Corporation had to get increasingly industrious with
safety measurement alongside the environmental responsibilities required to operate its trains
safely.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Analyzing the case study of Amtrak, it appears that a watchfulness alongside
communication problems existed from tender of Mobile River Bridge alongside captain of
Maubilla. Further, there was dangerous weather that fateful night (Eisenbeis, Hanks & Barrett,
1999). The first recommendation would be to suspend all the transport means for a given period
until the fog get cleared up (Specker 2016). It also appears that the Maubilla captain never had
sufficient experience with the novel radar system; this is why, despite seeing the object within a
radar, he failed to recognize it hence the accident. It stays recommended that each worker gets
adapted with each equipment alongside system before operating. No worker needs to be
permitted to operate a piece of novel equipment unless he has acquired essential training, skills,
and knowledge (Crowther & Seifi, 2018).
Following the accident, Amtrak Corporation, the CSX, WNG, National Guard, NTSB,
and Federal besides State Governments all had responsibilities of gathering resources as well as
providing everything required for compensating all affected individuals by such a tragic
misfortune. It is infeasible to allocate responsibilities of such ab incident to merely a single
organization or entity. However, one thing is apparent; each corporation has to work towards
improving all social responsibilities as well as all safety policies (Wang et al., 2016). Every law,
regulation, or rule is established for a purpose, and hence, it remains imperative that each
Company operates in adherence to the relevant laws and regulations.

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References
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). In Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved June 27, 2017, from
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/corporate-social-responsibility
Crowther, D., & Seifi, S. (Eds.). (2018). Redefining Corporate Social Responsibility. Emerald
Group Publishing, 12(3), 12-67.
Eisenbeis, R., Hanks S. & Barrett B. (1999). The Wreck of Amtrak’s Sunset Limited. North
American Case Research Association, Inc. Retrieved from
http://kucourses.com/re/DotNextLaunch.asp?
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JgpIBPkBiRKcAw2GRLrXtRArbvMRSvnpxCoJlo8AkVLjCWkCbmNSn4WMc456pM
LBtzMGLGAOoK
Post, J. (2017). Business News Daily. What is Corporate Social Responsibility? Retrieved from
http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4679-corporate-social-responsibility.html
Rabinowitz, P. (2016). Community Tool Box. Identifying and Analyzing Stakeholders and Their
Interests. Retrieved from http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/participation/encouraging-
involvement/identify-stakeholders/main

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Specker, L. (Sep 22, 2016). Amtrak Sunset Limited disaster 23 years later: 1993 Bayou Canot
train wreck remembered. [e-mail], 1-3.
https://www.al.com/news/mobile/2016/09/sunset_limited_disaster_a_retu.html
Wang, H., Tong, L., Takeuchi, R., & George, G. (2016). Corporate social responsibility: An
overview and new research directions: Thematic issue on corporate social responsibility,
12(4), 3-66.