Forty Two BNSF Train Cars Derail During High Winds in Panhandle, TX

June 25th, 2013 |

PANHANDLE, TX – A BNSF train derailed in Panhandle, TX on June 21, 2013 tipping over 42 rail cars in high winds. Panhandle is

A BNSF train derailed in Panhandle, TX during high winds sending 47 cars off the tracks on June 21, 2013.

Photo shows a BNSF train derailed in Panhandle, TX during high winds sending 42 out of 47 cars off the tracks at 1:00 a.m. on June 21, 2013.

The 71-car BNSF train was on its way from Clovis, NM to Amarillo, TX when it derailed in Panhandle on June 21 at around 1:00 a.m. Forty-two out of forty-seven rail cars left the tracks and tipped over on their sides. Some of the cars were empty and some of the cars were carrying cargo.

Map shows location of BNSF train derailment in Panhandle, TX just west of town alongside a stretch of U.S. Highway 60 on June 21, 2013.

An article at the kwtx.com website reported on the story:

“BNSF spokesman Joe Faust said Tuesday that nobody was hurt in the derailment … 47 cars that were empty or carrying freight derailed before dawn Monday and 42 ended up on their sides.”

The cause of the accident has not been established by officials, but according to the news article, high winds were the likely cause of the incident. There were no injuries to any railroad workers reported as a result of the mishap.

Cleanup crews worked during the night and early the next day cleaning up the mess and repairing the tracks.

According to the National Weather Service in Lubbock, TX winds were being clocked up to 100 mph in the area at that time. Lubbock is located 179 miles to the south of the accident site.

Rail cars on this train were double-stacked and were probably more susceptible to overturning from wind than single container units because of their high profile and greater surface area.

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