Posted on Jan 07, 2012

Friday afternoon saw a freak accident as 3 trains collided near Valparaiso, Indiana. According to CNN reports, one freight train was stopped on the westbound track. That train had 2 engines and hauled 77 cars. Another freight train, this one with 2 engines and 60 cars, came up behind the parked train and rear-ended it. The force of the impact sent debris hurtling across train tracks running parallel to the westbound track that formed the scene of the wreck.

A third train traveling along the parallel tracks struck the wreckage of the first 2 trains and derailed. The 3rd train pulled 48 cars. The scene of the multiple train wreck ended up as a tangle of jumbled and derailed cars and engines. Firefighters worked to put out blazes amid the jumbled wreckage.

At least 2 crewmembers of the 60-car train received transport to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries. Authorities said that the 3 trains carried a variety of freight, including 3 cars of combustible materials. But statements from train officials indicated that there didn’t appear to be any significant spills or leakage of hazardous substances. Residents of about 50 homes were evacuated as a precaution.

Inspections were underway to determine the extent of the damage and danger. Investigators were also looking into why the first train had been stopped on the tracks in the first place. Inquiries might also be in place to determine whether the drivers of the second and third trains might have suffered from fatigue, distraction, or other impairments at the time of the wreck. The NTSB had arrived by later in the afternoon to take charge of the investigation of the freak accident involving 3 trains colliding.

The accident attorneys at Denena & Points convey sincere wishes for a full recovery to the injured victims of this multiple train wreck. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

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