Amtrak Crash Survivor Tweets About Lost Violin, Outrage Ensues
A concert violinist who lost her violin in the deadly Philadelphia Amtrak derailment has ignited controversy on social media after posting an angry tweet bemoaning her lost violin, the Independent is reporting.
Jennifer Kim is a violinist with the Washington National Opera Orchestra, who was also one of the passengers on Amtrak 118, which derailed in Philadelphia on Tuesday, killing seven people (as of this post) and injuring over 200, according to this Inquisitr report.
Among the chaos of the Amtrak derailment, Kim managed to lose her violin. Sending a tweet directly to Amtrak’s Twitter account, the violinist asked Amtrak for help in getting her lost violin back.
Since the tweet about the lost violin was posted, both Jennifer Kim’s original tweet and her entire Twitter account have been taken down, according to the New York Daily News. What you’re seeing above is a screenshot taken before the violinist closed her account.
Twitter users were angry at the violinist for being concerned about a lost violin while people were injured and dying after a horrific train crash, and expressed their outrage.
Because your violin is the highest priority for EMT’s and first responders right now #Amtrak @vinoviolin pic.twitter.com/TgM2K0OJMc
— ??’? ????? (@JacobMSchmitt) May 13, 2015
Some woman was complaining to Amtrak after her violin got destroyed. Are you kidding me… — Steve Hallett (@hallettwx) May 13, 2015
.@vinoviolin I hope you get your violin back from under the bleeding people. Good luck!
— Marybeth Kelly (@MK12679) May 13, 2015
think the “thanks a lot for derailing my train” part is worse than the violin part — Savage Henry (@BusinessLucas) May 13, 2015
Other Twitter users, however, called for at least a modicum of compassion for the violinist, considering that she had just been through a horrific crash.
You’re going to hear about this Tweet. Best to ignore it. Victims/passengers should be given some space and leeway. https://t.co/Jj8MxXDzIy
— Marc Ambinder (@marcambinder) May 13, 2015
Others noted that the lost violin is more than just an object to a professional violinist.
@TIME Well I don’t know her life story so I feel like I can’t really judge her for this. Maybe her violin feeds a family and pays the bills
— Sulari G (@Sulari_Goone) May 13, 2015
Whose side are you on? Do you think Jennifer Kim was wrong to complain to Amtrak about her violin being lost in the Philadelphia derailment?
[Images courtesy of: Getty Images/Win McNamee, New York Daily News]
