14 CSX train cars derail, knock house off its foundation in northwest Atlanta

JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM A train derailed and knocked a house off its foundation in northwest Atlanta. 

  Train derails, knocks house off its foundation in northwest Atlanta




The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thursday, October 5, 2017 
 


Story Highlights

• Fourteen railcars left the tracks near the 1300 block of Andrews Street.
• A man in the home was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
• All intersections the train crosses are currently blocked.

A train derailed and knocked a northwest Atlanta home off its foundation early Thursday as a man slept in his bedroom.


The man, who was trapped inside the home in the 1300 block of Andrews Street, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital with minor injuries to his legs after authorities rescued him, officials said.


“You’re sleeping in your bed, and you hear a large rumble and then you hear a large crash,” Atlanta fire spokesman Cortez Stafford. “So he’s very fortunate that he’s alive right now.”


According to Stafford, the northbound CSX train went about 5 to 10 feet inside the house after 14 railcars left the tracks about 3 a.m.



The impact pushed part of the home’s structure out through the other side, leaving it unlivable.

Atlanta firefighters responded Thursday morning after a train derailed and crashed into a house in northwest Atlanta. JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM


All intersections where the train crosses were blocked for several hours, but the scene was quickly stabilized and the neighborhood did not need to be evacuated, Stafford said.

A man was injured when a train derailed and crashed into a house in northwest Atlanta early Thursday. JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM


CSX spokesman Rob Doolittle said crews would work around the clock to clear the derailed cars as quickly as possible.


The cause of the incident will be investigated as part of the recovery effort, he said.



“There are no reports of any leaks or spills of freight from the train at this time,” he said. “And CSX personnel are working with Atlanta police and firefighters to assess the situation while maintaining the safety of nearby residents.”


At the time of the crash, the train was traveling from Waycross to Cincinnati, Ohio, with three locomotives, 68 loaded railcars and 123 empty railcars, Doolittle said.

A man was injured when a train derailed and crashed into a house in northwest Atlanta early Thursday. JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM


The train was hauling sand, carbon black used in tire manufacturing and other bulk materials.


Tomaya Tucker, a neighbor of the injured man, said the train runs through the area about four times a day and she never expected anything like this to happen.


The crash sounded like something blew up, she said. So she ran outside to see what happened.


The beautiful home she admired with about six bedrooms, three bathrooms, a porch and a big backyard was ruined.


“Your house is your pride,” Tucker said.


There aren’t many homes in Tucker’s immediate area, and it’s a quiet community, she said.


“So for that to happen,” Tucker said, “my feelings (are) hurt for him.”

John Eagle Collision Owes $31.5M after it used glue instead of welds when replacing a hail-damaged steel roof on the vehicle prior to the accident that led to a couple being trapped in a burning car.

John Eagle Collision Owes $31.5M for Performing Improper Repairs

October 3, 2017




Oct. 3, 2017—A Texas jury found that John Eagle Collision Repair Center owes $31.5 million for performing an improper repair that led to a couple being trapped in a burning car.

The lawsuit gained national media attention in August after Matthew and Marcia Seebachan, who were trapped in the crushed, burning 2010 Honda Fit after a collision, found that John Eagle Collision Center (Dallas) had used glue instead of welds when replacing a hail-damaged steel roof on the vehicle prior to the accident.

Now that John Eagle has been assigned 75 percent liability in the case, Erica Eversman, a collision repair attorney for Vehicle Information Services, says that the verdict could become a watershed moment that will affect collision-insurer relationships and increase public awareness of OEM procedures. It has the potential to lead to a class action lawsuit, she said.

The Dallas County jury attributed the other 25 percent of the blame to the other driver. The verdict was 10-2.

The Seebachans' attorney Todd Tracy indicated they may revive another lawsuit against State Farm, which allegedly had influence over John Eagle not following OEM specifications.

"State Farm secretly and covertly plays Russian Roulette with its customers and the public by forcing body shops to choose their profits over the safety of the motoring public," Tracy said.

Tracy’s campaign highlighting the insurance industry’s influence over collision repairs has stirred up several news stories over the past couple months, resulting in Texas Watch, a citizen advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring insurance companies are held accountable, requesting the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) investigate the insurance industry’s “corner cutting” of automobile repairs.

Tori Sommerman, deputy director of Texas Watch, said the organization never felt compelled to involve itself in the insurer-collision relationship until this lawsuit.

“We believe body shops should be making safe repairs,” she said. “We also believe, then, insurance companies should prioritize policyholder’s safety.”


TOM MOORE
October 4, 2017
Just looking at the one photo from the crash area. Does anyone else seem to think it was a windshield installation problem and not a roof skin problem?
 


PETER CABRAL
October 4, 2017
Wasn't it their feet that were trapped? I understand the car is designed to allow the drive-train to go under the floor-pan. The roof replacement was a skin only. Sounds like Honda is lucky to be suit free.

Interstate Grain Corp. Worker Merejildo "Jildo" Ramos Jr. 21, died after he fell at the Interstate Grain Corporation in Corpus Christi, Texas

OSHA investigating worker's death in grain elevator fall 

CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS -

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating an accident at a local grain elevator that left a worker dead.

According to OSHA representative Travis Clark, a male employee was found dead as a result of a fall at the Interstate Grain Corporation at 5700 Up River Road on Sunday.

At this time, Clark says that he is unable to release any further details regarding the accident.

The Nueces County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the victim as 21-year-old Merejildo Ramos.

According to the medical examiner, Ramos died from trauma sustained from the fall. Meanwhile, the Medical Examiner's Office is still waiting on his toxicology results. 

Merejildo "Jildo" Ramos Jr.

Benavides, TX

Merejildo "Jildo" Ramos Jr., 21, went to be with the Lord on Sunday, October 1, 2017 from injuries sustained in an industrial accident. He was born in Kingsville, Texas on July 14, 1996 to his parents, Nelda Guzman and Meregildo Ramos. He was a graduate of Benavides High School, class of 2014 and spent his summer break working part time for the Duval Co. Pct. #3 with his grandpa, Noe. He then moved to Calallen with his wife and started working with Liberty Crude Oil and was presently employed by Interstate Grain Corp. He enjoyed hunting, going to the shooting range, fishing and spending time with his family. He was a loving husband, devoted father, son, grandson and brother who will be sadly missed by all his family and friends.

He was preceded in death by his paternal grandfather, Patricio Ramos.

Jildo is survived by his wife of six years, Deann Vera Ramos of Benavides, Texas; one daughter, Jasmyn Denae Ramos of Benavides, Texas; his mother, Nelda Guzman (Michael) Canales of Falfurrias, Texas; his father, Meregildo (Cynthia Randall) Ramos of San Antonio, Texas; maternal grandparents, Noe and Janie Guzman of Benavides, Texas; paternal grandmother, Alicia Ramos of San Antonio, Texas; three sisters, Emory Cantu, Elizabeth Ramos and Kathy Ramos all of San Antonio, Texas; three brothers, Emiliano Canales of Falfurrias, Texas; Alexander Ramos of San Antonio, Texas; Nano Ramos of Oregon; one niece, Penelope Villarreal; several aunts, uncles and cousins.

Carl Joseph Williams, 77, of Wilkesboro, NC was killed when the farm tractor he was operating was hit from behind by a pickup truck driven by Gary Rhoades, 38, on U.S. 421 in the Champion community of NC

Carl Joseph Williams, 77, of Wilkesboro- dead

A man was killed when the farm tractor he was operating was hit from behind by a pickup Wednesday morning on U.S. 421 in the Champion community about two miles west of Wilkesboro, according to Trooper K.W. Dean of the N.C. Highway Patrol.



Carl Joseph Williams, 77, of Wilkesboro, operating a 1984 Massey-Ferguson tractor, died at the scene of multiple trauma, Wilkes Medical Examiner Jason Reavis said.

Gary Rhoades, 38, of Dehart Church Road, North Wilkesboro, driving a Ford Ranger pickup, was taken to Wilkes Medical Center by Wilkes Emergency Medical Services.

The tractor was westbound in the right lane when it was hit by the westbound pickup, Dean said. The impact threw Williams off the tractor and he came to rest beside a guardrail.

The farm tractor and the pickup were both total losses as a result of the 10:15 a.m. wreck.

One lane of U.S. 421 was blocked in the area of the crash. Champion Fire Department first responders and firefighters assisted with traffic control and the medical effort.

The investigation is continuing. Sgt. S.R. Lineberger and Troopers J.L. Wilson and A.K. Hall assisted Dean.

Obituary for Carl Joseph Williams 

Mr. Carl Joseph Williams, age 77 of Wilkesboro, passed away Wednesday.

Funeral services will be held 2:00 PM Saturday, October 7th, 2017 at Reins Sturdivant Chapel with Rev. Victor Church officiating. The family will receive friends from 12:30 until 1:30 prior to the service at Reins Sturdivant Funeral Home. Burial will be in Antioch Baptist Church cemetery.

Mr. Williams was born May 9, 1940 in Wilkes County to Charlie Williams, Sr. and Sylvania Smithey Glass Williams. He was retired from Mathis Brothers Construction Company.

A 21-year-old construction worker died after falling 150 feet from a platform at the Wheaton Dumont Co-op Grain Elevator in Tenney, Minn.

3 fatalities (2 in Texas and 1 in Minnesota) due to falls this week in the Grain Industry.

A 21-year-old construction worker died after falling 150 feet from the top of a grain elevator Thursday in Tenney, Minn.

The man was working at the Wheaton Dumont Co-op Elevator with two other men on a platform. They were adjusting another platform when the man fell, the Wilkin County sheriff’s office reported.

The accident was reported about 2:45 p.m.

The man was dead at the scene, the sheriff’s office reported. His name was not being released until his family was notified.

The man was an employee of Gateway Building Systems of Fergus Falls, Minn., the sheriff’s office reported. Tenney is about 35 miles southwest of Fergus Falls.

An investigation is pending, the report said. 


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The preventable tragedy

Posted Oct. 5th, 2017 by Ron Lyseng



LANGHAM, Sask. — Three or four people are usually killed every year in grain bin accidents, says Glen Blahey of the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association.

“We never know about close calls because they’re not reported.”

Most people who become entrapped in a grain bin do not survive. The number of entrapments is increasing in all areas of Canada, according to CASA. As the overall mortality numbers increase, a parallel trend is that more entrapments are occurring in large off-farm grain handling facilities.

“A study of grain entrapment cases in the States from 1964 to 2006 documented 82 percent of grain bin emergency calls ending up as (body) recovery calls, not rescues,” said Blahey.

The study, conducted by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), documented six rescuer deaths in that time period.

“In the cases where the victim was still alive when the rescue team arrived, only 10 percent turned out to be successful rescues,” he said.




“That means 90 percent of the victims who were still living when the team arrived died before they could be brought out alive. The cause is inappropriate rescue procedures and inadequate training.

“There’s nightmare stories about guys trapped in grain and somebody says they should just get a rope under his arms and hook it up to a tractor and pull. When you’re up to your armpits in grain, there’s more than 600 pounds of friction holding your body in the grain. When they pull on that rope, the first thing that happens is your shoulders pop out of their joints.”

And that’s just the first thing that happens to the human body.

To focus attention on this growing problem, Blahey has been on the road since early summer with CASA’s new grain bin rescue demonstration trailer. The mobile demonstration features a scaled down grain bin that replicates a typical accident in frightening detail. The re-enactment depicts many of the things that can go wrong when a rescue operation turns bad.

The good news is the demonstration also shows how a trained rescue team correctly extricates a victim engulfed in the grain. Although most people have heard about rescue tube equipment by now, Blahey said few people understand that a successful rescue is not just a matter of having your volunteer fire department rush out, shove a rescue tube around the victim and auger out the grain.

“If you are entrapped at the bottom of an inverted cone or funnel of grain, it might be up to your head by the time help arrives,” he said.

“If I rush into the bin with a neighbour to try save you, we’re trampling downward on the cone of grain, creating an avalanche. The grain will be over your head long before we can save you. The rescue process is more complicated than simply having the rescue tube and hand-held auger.”

Blahey said a common assumption is that you can just rip one side of the bin open to save the person inside. However, bins are engineered to hold a symmetrical column of grain. If there’s a lot of grain inside, ripping open a hole anywhere in the 360-degree wall can cause the whole bin to collapse on rescuers and bystanders.

One recommendation published by the ASABE involves rapidly removing grain by cutting holes, spaced equal distance apart, around the 360 degree perimeter of the wall. The engineers warn that too many openings or openings that are too big can jeopardize the structural integrity of the bin and cause a total collapse.

“If you make the holes too low, the grain comes rushing out, but it sucks the victim deeper down into the grain, where he can suffocate,” he said.

“If you try to torch a hole through the steel, you risk setting the grain on fire, especially in oilseed crops. Or you can trigger an explosion if there’s a lot of grain dust.”

Blahey recalled what once happened on a U.S. farm when a farmer was trapped in the grain. First responders arrived and began assessing the situation and forming their rescue plan.

“But the family and neighbours panicked,” he said.

“They thought the rescue team was taking too much time making their plan, so they started taking over the operation. They started torching holes in the bin. The fire department on the scene tried repeatedly to stop them, warning them there was a significant risk of an explosion.

“Every minute spent trying to calm the crowd was a minute wasted for the rescue team. The confrontation grew more intense. Finally, the state troopers had to be called in to keep the crowd from interfering with the rescue. The incident turned out to be a recovery. It points to the need to stay calm.”

ASABE said the average time for either a rescue or a body recovery is 3.3 hours from the time first responders arrive on the scene. In one incident, rescuers had to remove 267,000 bushels of soybeans from a 305,000 bu. bin. The victim had been missing two hours before rescuers were called. Again, the case ended as a body recovery.

Engineers began working with the concept of a grain rescue tube back in the early 1990s. Today, there are a number of commercially available grain rescue tubes on the market, all based on the same strategy.

The victim is nearly always at the centre of the cone. Two rescue workers wearing harnesses are lowered into the bin carrying the components of the rescue tube. There are typically up to eight, light-weight aluminum or poly sections which, when linked together, form a grain-proof case surrounding the victim.

A small hand-held auger driven by a cordless drill slowly sucks grain out of the protected area inside the rescue tube. As grain is drawn out, rescue workers push the tube deeper into the cone. Each time the walls of the tube are pushed down, the victim gains a bit more freedom of movement. Once the tube has been emptied, a harness is used to pull the victim up to safety. Prices for grain rescue tubes are in the range of US$2,500.

What to do if the unthinkable happens

In the event of a grain bin entrapment:

• Stop. Do not rush in an attempt to rescue the victim.
• Shut down and lock out all unloading equipment.
• Contact the first responder team.
• Turn on aeration and roof exhaust fans.
• Assemble everyone who is working on the farm at a predetermined location.
• Assess situation: stability of grain mass, condition of victim, air quality inside structure, availability of necessary rescue equipment and personnel best suited to carry out the rescue.
• Implement a situation-specific action plan.

Source: Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health

Grim statistics

Editor’s note: Consideration should be given to the fact that the long-term study stretches back to 1964, long before grain rescue tubes had been invented. Also, the structural characteristics of today’s large bins are considerably different than in 1964. 

Based on 196 cases where the rescue technique used was known, the most effective method to extricate a victim from a grain mass was removing the grain from around the victim by cutting or punching holes in the side of the grain storage structure. This method was documented in 56 percent of cases.

The potential for multiple victims due to catastrophic failure of a grain storage structure should be considered. Manufacturers of grain storage structures should conduct studies to predict the consequences associated with rapid removal of grain if those structures are breached during rescue operations. 
Warnings concerning potential structural failure if breached should be posted on the structure itself and included in the operator’s instructions.

The second most frequently applied technique is constructing a grain retaining wall (rescue tube) around a partially entrapped victim. Grain inside the retaining wall is augered out, thereby freeing the victim. This method was used in 19 percent of those 196 cases.

The use of powerful portable grain vacuums in documented rescue attempts is on the increase. This provides a previously unavailable resource for first responders. However, potential risks with this equipment were identified.
Source: ASABE report

International Barrier Technology employee Todd Allen Shoutz, 51, died in Watkins, MN after he was pinned by equipment

WATKINS, MN — An industrial accident at International Barrier Technology in Watkins resulted in the death of an employee Wednesday morning, according to Meeker County Sheriff Brian Cruze.

At 11:36 a.m. the Meeker County Sheriff's Office received a report of an industrial accident at International Barrier Technology in the 500 block of Fourth Street North in Watkins. The initial report was of an employee pinned in a piece of equipment.

Rescue workers were able to free the individual from the equipment and began life-saving efforts, but the victim succumbed to his injuries and died at the scene.

The employee has been identified as Todd Allen Shoutz, 51, of Litchfield. The preliminary investigation revealed that Shoutz, a maintenance worker, was working on the machine at the time of the accident.

Meeker County deputies, Watkins Ambulance, Watkins Fire Department and Life Link III all contributed to on-scene efforts. The Meeker County Sheriff's Office is continuing the investigation.

International Barrier Technology processes building materials to make them fire-resistant.


International Barrier Technology Inc. (OTCBB: IBTGF; TSXV: IBH) develops, manufactures, and markets proprietary fire resistant technology including building materials branded as LP® FlameBlock™ Fire-Rated OSB and FR Deck Panel. Barrier's award-winning family of structural wood panels use a patented, non-toxic, non-combustible coating with an extraordinary capability: it releases water in the heat of fire. Pyrotite™ has potential applications to engineered wood products, paint, plastics, and expanded polystyrene. 

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Barrier Technology employee dies after being pinned by machinery

Oct 6, 2017


WATKINS, MN — An industrial accident at International Barrier Technology in Watkins resulted in the death of an employee Wednesday morning, according to Meeker County Sheriff Brian Cruze.


At 11:36 a.m. the Meeker County Sheriff's Office received a report of an industrial accident at International Barrier Technology in the 500 block of Fourth Street North in Watkins. The initial report was of an employee pinned in a piece of equipment.


Rescue workers were able to free the individual from the equipment and began life-saving efforts, but the victim succumbed to his injuries and died at the scene.


The employee has been identified as Todd Shoutz, 51, of Litchfield. The preliminary investigation revealed that Shoutz, a maintenance worker, was working on the machine at the time of the accident.


Meeker County deputies, Watkins Ambulance, Watkins Fire Department and Life Link III all contributed to on-scene efforts. The Meeker County Sheriff's Office is continuing the investigation.


International Barrier Technology processes building materials to make them fire-resistant.