Are they saying that possibly the striking of an object caused the train to accelerate to 106 mph while approaching a curve?
No, but he could have went to the floor in gun fire or objects entering the glass (the windscreen is only bullet suppressant for 22LR according to some commentators), and hit the throttle on the way down. That’s the theory... there are some rather mysterious damage points on the wind shield of the locomotive.
So I am waiting for the official story. And if I had to bet (and I don’t, but if I did...), my money would be on the engineer NOT being suicidal or a speed demon. Either disorientation or something external.
trainorders.com has hidden his posts from site searches at this point, but he was a member over there, and commented often on safety.
I also don’t consider him lawyering up a indicator of wrong doing. It’s just logical when dealing with law enforcement and regulatory agencies.