2 survivors reunite after deadly 1995 Amtrak train derailment in Arizona

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — On October 5, 1995, just after 1:00 a.m., Amtrak’s Sunset Limited train derailed near Tonopah, Arizona, west of Phoenix, killing one train employee and injuring over 100 passengers.

The FBI believes the crash was likely sabotage, but the case remains unsolved.

Years after the tragedy, True Crime Arizona interviewed a passenger who had cared for a young boy on the train during the tragedy. Recently, the passenger and the boy, now an adult, reconnected.

LouAnn Zulawski, a survivor of the train derailment, shared her story with Arizona’s Family in 2020, recalling the chaos and devastation of the crash. She had documented evidence of intentional tampering with the tracks using her 35mm camera.

One poignant image she captured was of a young boy named Patrick, traveling alone and under her care during the ordeal. Despite LouAnn’s efforts to reunite him with his family, they were eventually separated.

“I didn’t know where he lived, I didn’t have a phone number, none of that stuff. And that was kind of how it ended until Patrick saw your news report and reached out to your station,” LouAnn said.

Patrick Healy, now an adult, came across our 2020 report on YouTube about the derailment and contacted True Crime Arizona reporter Briana Whitney to reconnect with LouAnn after nearly 30 years.

During their emotional phone call, Patrick thanked LouAnn for being his “angel” and expressed his gratitude for the role she played in his life during the traumatic event.

After their separation, U.S. Marshals took care of Patrick and arranged for his return to Texas.

Their reunion brought both tears of joy and sadness. LouAnn assured Patrick that he was “stuck” with her and expressed her intention to visit him in Texas soon.

As for the unsolved derailment, a $310,000 reward still stands for anyone with information that may lead to an arrest in the case.

VIDEO: News Channel 3 at 11 a.m. October 11, 1995

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.

Copyright 2024 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.