FELA Lawyer News Blog

Archive for the ‘BNSF Railroad’ Category

PERRY, OK — A BNSF train carrying fertilizer derailed Thursday evening on January 13 at about 10:15 p.m. Only one of 4 derailed cars carrying the fertilizer was discovered to be leaking the hazardous material. The incident was reported by a police dispatcher.

Photo by Perry fire chief Wayne Emmons

The train was traveling about 20 mph along U.S. 77, also 7 Street at Birch Street in the middle of the city, at approximately 10:15 p.m when the train accident occurred, Perry police communication supervisor Richard Williams reported. ... Read More

FT. WORTH, TX – BNSF has issued a news release in response to an investigative report about BNSF’s conduct in grade crossing and railroad employee safety issues reported by The Minneapolis Star Tribune, calling the report bias.

In their investigative report, The Minneapolis Star Tribune identified 13 cases in which judges allegedly disciplined the railroad for destroying evidence and other legal wrongdoing. At issue was an investigation into a 2003 rail crossing collision that killed four people. ... Read More

WINFIELD, KS – Eleven rail cars of a southbound BNSF freight train derailed in Winfield, KS on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2010.

Railroad siding just off West 9th Avenue in Winfield, KS just north of the fairgrounds near the main line where a BNSF freight train derailed on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2010.

Winfield is located in Cowley County, Kansas in the southern part of the state, about 43 miles southeast of Wichita. ... Read More

OSHA’s Region 7 Office announced Wednesday that BNSF has been ordered to pay an employee over $95,000 for violating the Whistleblower Provisions of the FRSA. BNSF suspended the employee for 30 days after he reported an on-the-job injury. BNSF suspended the employee for 30 days for allegedly using the wrong tool in the incident in which he was hurt. OSHA’s investigation concluded that the tool was not available to the employee until after he was hurt.

An OSHA investigation upheld the employee’s allegation that the Ft. Worth, Texas-based railroad issued him a Level S 30-day record suspension and one-year probation in retaliation for reporting a work-related injury. ... Read More

JAMESTOWN, ND – Crews in Jamestown, North Dakota were working to clean up coal and metal while trying to get both rail tracks open from a 21-car BNSF coal train derailment that happened Sunday morning, December 12, at about 7:00 am.

Twenty-one  out of 123 cars, derailed spilling more than 1,000 tons of coal wrecking cars on the two mainline tracks through the city. ... Read More

PUEBLO, CO – A BNSF train hauling coal derailed in Pueblo, CO in a spectacular crash on Saturday morning, November 27, 2010.

Thirty-one cars involved in BNSF train derailment in Pueblo, CO on November 27, 2010.

Pueblo is in Pueblo County, Colorado in the southern part of the state, about 112 miles southeast of Denver. ... Read More

BAKERSFIELD, CA. – On Novenber 3, the FELA lawyer news blog wrote a story titled BNSF Proposal to Transfer Bakersfield Workers to Barstow Meets Resistance. The story was about the BNSF rail company’s proposal to transfer about 100 Bakersfield employees to the Barstow area.

Now the BNSF railroad workers and their families say  there is another reason to avoid the transfer – contaminated water. Barstow’s water supply county was found to have traces of a toxic chemical that’s used to make rocket fuel and explosives and San Bernadino residents were warned late last week not to drink the tap water. ... Read More

BAKERSFIELD, CA – BNSF Railway Co’s. proposal to transfer about 100 Bakersfield employees to the Barstow area could be devastating for many workers and their families. That is why Union leaders and members are opposing the transfer with fierce resistance.

“This bomb was dropped on us about three weeks ago with no advance warning. We were completely blindsided,” said Daryl Smith, president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, division No. 739. ... Read More

According to an article at INFORUM, Amy McBeth, BNSF’s director of public affairs, said the company is in the process of adding about 50 new jobs in North Dakota. Some of those have been filled, and a second round of hiring is set for early 2011. The company began the hiring push in August, 2010. BNSF employs about two-thirds of North Dakota’s 2,000 rail workers.

The company will also add about 90 jobs in Minnesota, where about 2,200 of the state’s 5,200 rail workers are BNSF employees. ... Read More

WILLISTON, ND – On Tuesday, October 26 an oil tanker truck crashed into a train near Williston, ND, killing the truck driver.

Oil tanker catches fire after crashing into train in Williston, ND on October 26, 2010.

Williston is in Williams County, North Dakota in the northwestern part of the state about 228 miles northwest of Bismarck. ... Read More