Locomotive Rear-Ends Train; 18 Cars Derail, Lube Oil Spills
More than 20,000 gallons of lube oil spilled after a freight train was
rear-ended by another train traveling in the same direction Tuesday in
western Virginia, causing 18 cars and a locomotive to derail, Norfolk Southern said.
The oil, which is commonly used in machinery, spilled from one of the
derailed rail cars. Scrap metal spilled from another car. The other cars
that went off the tracks were empty, Norfolk Southern spokeswoman Susan
Terpay said Wednesday in an email.
Two crew members were treated for injuries at a hospital and released, Terpay said.
The westbound Norfolk Southern train was struck from behind by a second
Norfolk Southern train around 4 p.m. Tuesday near the small western
Virginia town of Dublin. Terpay said eight rear cars on the first train
and 10 cars on the second train, along with the locomotive, derailed.
Norfolk Southern initially had reported that five empty cars and the locomotive derailed.
Terpay said the spilled oil has been contained at the site and no
waterways have been affected. The railroad and environmental contractors
are working to clean up the site.
She said the cause of the crash and derailment is under investigation.
Dozens of emergency officials responded to the scene, The Roanoke Times (http://bit.ly/1dZf8bC) reported.
The train cars landed in the backyard of Kenny Trail, who was watching
TV when he heard the noise, the newspaper reported. The train crushed
his electric scooter, and he was immediately evacuated.
Another resident, Teresa Frank, heard the trains collide as she was picking green beans in her father's backyard.
"It was horribly loud, and I took off running back to the house," Frank
told the newspaper. "I didn't know what it was, but we started seeing
emergency cars show up."
Frank said the daily sounds of trains have become background noise for many residents.
"You hear all kinds of banging ... on the tracks," she said. "But this was super loud, so I thought something was wrong."