FELA Lawyer News Blog

Archive for the ‘Train Derailments’ Category

WEVER, IA – The derailment happened a little after 8:00 p.m. Wednesday evening on April 7. According to eyewitnesses, several cars went off the tracks north of Wever, Iowa near the Skunk River.

The cause of the accident was said to be due to a mudslide in that area that happened Wednesday evening.

According to BNSF officials, three empty coal cars derailed between Kemper and Burlington. The train was completely empty at the time the cars overturned and there were no injuries reported. BNSF crews arrived at the scene. ... Read More

LEE, MA – Seven Housatonic Railroad freight cars derailed in Lee, Massachusetts on Monday, March 29, 2010 around 8 p.m. Two of the freight cars tipped over onto their sides, one of them that was loaded with lumber fell into the Housatonic River.

Seven freight cars derailed at the Pine Street crossing in Lee, Massachusetts on Monday, March 29, 2010. Photo credit: Massachusetts Department of Fire Services Hazmat Team.

Lee is in western Massachusetts, about 125 miles west of Boston, about 42 miles northwest of Springfield, about 105 miles west of Framingham and about 91 miles west of Worcester. ... Read More

GLADSTONE, VA – A CSX train carrying coal derailed around 12:45 a.m. on Thursday, April 1, 2010 in Gladstone, Virginia just south of Norwood. Norwood is located in the central part of the state about 180 miles northwest of Norfolk, about 85 miles west of Richmond, and about 34 miles northeast of Lynchburg.

A CSX train carrying coal derailed just after midnight Thursday morning along Norwood Road in Nelson County, Virginia. Photo credit: Lee Luther Jr.

In the incident, 22 cars that were carrying coal overturned when a train belonging to CSX jumped the tracks and overturned. The mishap occurred south of Variety Mills Road along a section of track that runs alongside Norwood Road. Coal spilled within 500 feet of a tributary of the James River and, according to officials, the coal spill did contaminate the waterway.  ... Read More

WATERLOO, IN – On Friday evening, March 26, 2010, a train on the way to Michigan derailed in Waterloo, Indiana and spilled 5500 tons of coal. Waterloo is located in the north eastern part of the state about 152 miles north east of Indianapolis and about 25 miles north of Fort Wayne.

View of Friday's train derailment in Waterloo, IN from the intersection of Center St and Van Vleek. Photo credit: Freda Dickey

Thirty eight Norfolk Southern cars derailed in the mishap. According to a company spokesman, the train was headed from Chicago, IL to Monroe, MI. Although there is no official word on the cause of the accident, the Waterloo town board president said that the cause may have been due to a broken axle on one of the train cars. A spokesperson from Norfolk-Southern could not confirm this, however. ... Read More

ALEXANDRIA, MO – Freight cars from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway BNSF derailed in Alexandria, Missouri on Saturday, March 27, 2010 at about 2:30 pm. The railway cars were carrying coal from Wyoming and were heading to the St. Louis area. The derailment involved 22 out of the 135 cars on the train that included 3 engines. Fourteen railway cars were mangled in the derailment.

22 cars involved in Alexandria, MO train derailment. Photo credit: Steve Bohnstedt/Herald-Whig

According to Steve Forsberg, a spokesman from the BNSF Railway, the cause of the derailment has not been determined. Forsberg is the general director of public affairs for BNSF. ... Read More