You might recall the deadly derailment in Québec, Canada that occurred on July 6. A train nearly a mile long had been parked overnight with just one person assigned to it. Our Bay City train accident injury attorneys point out that this train contained 72 tankers filled with crude oil when it rolled out of park, down an incline, and derailed and exploded in downtown Lac-Megantic.
The explosion of several tankers destroyed 40 buildings and 47 lives, injuring others and leaving many of the town’s 6,000 residents grief-stricken. Canada has since banned one-man crews for trains bearing dangerous or explosive cargos, and will no longer permit these trains to be left unattended on a main track.
The U.S. FRA (Federal Railroad Administration), recognizing that the same type of accident could happen here, has issued its own set of 6 orders intended to keep trains operating on main track lines or sidings from moving unintentionally. The Bay City train accident injury attorneys at Denena Points, PC clarify that the 6 new rail safety measures focus on trains that carry hazardous, potentially explosive, materials like ethanol and crude oil. The FRA said on August 2 that all railroads must comply with the new rail safety measures within 30 days.
The FRA orders include provisions that:
No train or vehicles carrying the specified hazardous materials can be left unattended on a main track or side track outside a train yard or terminal (unless specifically authorized); and that
To receive authorization to leave a train unattended, railroads must develop and submit to the agency a process for securing unattended trains hauling hazmat such as locking or disabling the locomotive and employee reporting measures to ensure that they apply the correct number of hand brakes.
What the U.S. FRA Orders Do NOT Do for Safety
The U.S. FRA, unlike Canada, does not ban one-man crews, but recommends that railroads take a good look at their staffing needs, especially regarding trains that transport HAZMAT. (Source: Associated Press by way of the Houston Chronicle, 8/2/13) The 6 new rail safety measures ordered by the FRA only address unintended movement of the train, and do not seem to provide anything like a comprehensive framework for ensuring the safety of these trains and the materials they carry. The FRA says that it is conducting additional meetings and waiting for the results of the Canadian derailment investigation to decide what further measures might be appropriate.
Our Bay City train accident injury attorneys don’t want to call the FRA’s new rail safety measures merely cosmetic. They’re a good first step towards ensuring additional safety in a nation filled with trains carrying crude oil, natural gas, propane, and toxic chemicals, among other hazardous and potentially explosive substances. Particularly as the Bay City train accident injury attorneys at Denena Points, PC reside along the Texas Gulf Coast, a national hub for the transport of all kinds of combustible materials, we would like to see a truly thorough and comprehensive series of rail safety measures, including an end to authorizations for leaving trains transporting dangerous substances to be left unattended. Ever. Click the link to read about a U.S. train derailment disaster.