A New Jersey man who survived the train derailment that killed eight people looks back on the crash a year later.
PHILADELPHIA -- Judy Hewett knew only that she had to get to her husband.
The voice on the phone had told her next to nothing. There had been an accident involving the train that her husband, Bob Hewett, was riding from Washington, D.C. to Metropark Station in Iselin. The caller couldn't say anything about Hewett's condition -- just that Judy needed to get to Philadelphia as quickly as possible.
She turned on the TV and checked the news. Images of devastation filled the screen.
"I thought, worst case scenario, he was in that first car that there's nothing left of," Judy said. "It's been traumatic for the past year. It was not a one night thing."
Bob and Judy Hewett gave a press conference Thursday morning to mark the first anniversary of the Amtrak derailment that killed eight people and wounded more than 200 others on May 12, 2015. Hewett, of Nutley, Essex County, was the first patient from the scene to be brought to Hahnemann Hospital. He would be the last to leave.
From their attorney's office 52 floors above the streets of Center City, the family announced their goal: to find the first responders who rushed Hewett to the hospital, and thank them for saving his life.
Not long before his wife got the call from the hospital, the Hewetts had been exchanging text messages, trying to decide on plans for summer vacation.
"The train seemed to be going unusually fast," Hewett said. I remember being thrown out of my seat and hitting the ceiling. Right before I lost consciousness, I crashed head-on with another gentleman."
He woke up lying on a pile of rocks. Most of his clothing had been ripped from his body.
"Cars were overturned, fires were starting. I couldn't move. I couldn't sit up. I started calling out for help."
Hewett had a collapsed lung. Nearly all of his ribs had been shattered, and he had sustained multiple head wounds. He spent seven weeks in a medically induced coma, but his problems weren't over yet. Kidney damage meant he spent several months on dialysis. His lung capacity has been severely diminished, and he experiences chronic pain from a damaged shoulder and fused vertebrae.
As he laid unconscious, his wife and children came and went, wondering what new complication would arise with each new visit.
Family of Amtrak crash survivor speaks out
"It was hard to concentrate in school," said Hewett's 15-year-old daughter, Emily. "Me and my brother would see each other in the hall and say, 'what did you hear?'"
The 58-year-old Hewett, who worked as a security official for BASF, was used to travel. He took trains frequently, and flew as often as 70 times a year. Now, however, even going out to eat in a restaurant is a struggle.
"I've got a 15-month-old granddaughter," he said. "I can't hold her. I can't play with her."
Other scars are less obvious. Hewett has post-traumatic stress disorder and recurring nightmares, along with a survivor's guilt that never disappears completely.
"Why me?" he asked. "I wonder about the gentleman I hit. Did me hitting him kill him? Was he already dead when he hit me?"
Next week, the National Transportation Safety Board will hold a public meeting in which members will discuss the probable cause of the crash. Hewett says he'll probably watch the meeting online, but doesn't expect to be surprised.
The family wants to see Brandon Bostian, the train's engineer, charged with a crime. The train was taking a curve at 106 miles an hour -- more than twice the speed limit -- when it crashed. Bostian claims to have no memory of the incident.
"I'm angry," said Judy, breaking into tears. "And I hold a lot of it in. He changed our lives. I almost became a widow and my kids almost lost their father."
"I don't see how it's any different from vehicular manslaughter," Hewett said. "Every breath I take, I'm impacted by it."
Robert Mongeluzzi, Hewett's attorney, said he had faith that investigators would hold Bostian responsible.
"Mr. Bostian's actions that day not only derailed the train, it derailed lives," Mongeluzzi said. "I know the District Attorney's Office is methodical and deliberative. I would not fault them for waiting until all the evidence is in."
First responders rescuing a man believed to be Bob Hewett from the wreckage of Amtrak 188 in Philadelphia, May 12, 2015 (photo provided).The family eventually came upon a single image that they believe shows several men carrying Hewett to safety. They have not had any success in identifying Hewett's rescuers, but hope that some day, they can tell the men he made it out alive.
"I just want to thank them," Hewett said, his voice breaking. "I don't know what else to say. I'm just very grateful."
Andy Polhamus may be reached at apolhamus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ajpolhamus. Find NJ.com on Facebook.