Three freight trains carrying cars and chemical substances collided at the Porter County, Northwest of Indiana last December 5. The incident caused fire, traffic jam and panic to nearby residents.
According to reports, one freight train carrying 60 cars rear ended another freight train pulling empty ethanol tankers and 77 cars. As a result of incident, cars from the first and second freight train derailed and both trains crashed to the third freight train hauling 48 cars on a separate track. The third train did not avoid the derailed trains thus causing the three trains to collide against each other and burst into fire.
Two of trains’ crew members have sustained physical injuries and were sent to the hospital for proper medical treatment. Injuries sustained by victims were said to be non–life threatening and are expected to recover soon.
The train accident left mingled cars by the road side. The Porter County authorities evacuated the residents nearby the accident scene in to protect them from hazardous smokes coming from the crashed trains. The fire from the trains was up for six hours until county firefighters managed to extinguish it by sunset.
Fortunately, all of the three freight trains are owned by only one transportation company – the CSX Transportation Inc. Because of this, financial expenses would all be under the involved company’s responsibilities alone.
According to statistics, for every one and a half hour, train accidents occur in the country and for every two weeks, a freight train pulling hazardous substances derails causing poisonous chemicals to spill. Hence, train drivers are expected to be more careful and vigilant in order to train accidents. Accidents that were caused by freight trains loaded with hazardous materials may not only result into death but might also create a health threat to the community due to chemical spills.
Because of the mentioned Indiana train accident, it is clear that the first train driver became reckless and failed to take safety measures while at the railway. Although the cause of the accident is currently under investigation, mechanical failure is probably not a factor to the said train accident but definitely recklessness and negligence.
