Three Railroad Workers Rescued After Train Derailment in Charles City, Iowa

May 23rd, 2013 |

CHARLES CITY, IA – Three railroad workers had to be rescued on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 after five rail cars of a Canadian Pacific train derailed just east of Charles City, IA. The city of Charles City is located in Floyd County, Iowa in the northern part of the state about 104 miles northwest of Cedar Rapids.

An eastbound Canadian Pacific train derailed in Charles City, IA when a section of track was washed out by recent flooding on May 21, 2013. Photo credit: (Arian Schuessler/The Globe Gazette.

An eastbound Canadian Pacific train derailed in Charles City, IA when a section of track was washed out by recent flooding on May 21, 2013. Photo: (Arian Schuessler/The Globe Gazette.

The derailment occurred around 11:30 p.m. when a section of track was washed out by rising floodwaters. The 80 car train was heading east when it left the tracks near the Little Cedar River.

Map shows location of Canadian Pacific train derailment in Charles City, IA near the Little Cedar River south of 190th St on May 21, 2013.

The train became partially submerged in water and the railroad workers had to climb out of the train and get on top of one of the locomotives until rescue crews arrived and got them to safety.

The engineer and the conductor were among the railroad employees who were rescued. The railroad workers were rescued by local firefighters from the Charles City Fire Department, who used a long ladder to bridge the gap between the cars to reach them.

No injuries were reported at the time of the incident.

Four out of the five derailed cars were carrying ethanol. Despite early reports that there were no leaks, it was later discovered that some ethanol and some diesel fuel leaked into the river.

An article at the Globe Gazette had comments by railroad spokesman, Ed Greenberg:

Greenberg said the diesel fuel from one of the engines was being contained. However, ethanol does not float and mixes immediately with water, making recovery impossible, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Crews from several city, county and state agencies were cooperating to remove the derailed locomotive. Absorbent booms were placed around it to contain leaks during the cleanup effort.

The incident remains under investigation at this time.

Blog post by Gordon &amp Elias, a FELA lawyer and Iowa railroad injury lawyer who publishes train accidents and FELA legal news from across the United States.