 Chief Rubin initially confirmed four fatalities ( including the train operator ) and 74 injuries , 14 of which were considered moderate and 6 critical . Five of the dead were discovered in the wreckage and removed from the site of the collision on the morning of June 23 , as cranes dismantling the wrecked trains revealed the bodies . Nine fatalities were eventually confirmed . Major General ( ret . ) David F. Wherley , Jr. of the District of Columbia Air National Guard – known for deploying fighter jets to defend Washington , D.C. during the September 11 attacks – was killed in the collision along with his wife , Ann ; the other passengers killed in the crash were Lavonda King , Veronica DuBose , Cameron Williams , Dennis Hawkins , Mary Doolittle , and Ana Fernandez . 
