(The following story by Logan Hoffman appeared on the News-Leader website on June 7.)
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Thursday afternoon’s train collision at the Springfield railyard was the result of 31 cars rolling freely after becoming uncoupled during a routine shifting movement, officials for Burlington Northern Santa Fe said.
Officials still are unsure how the cars came uncoupled.
The collision and subsequent derailment of the cars happened shortly after 3:30 p.m. Thursday when the free-rolling cars slammed into a line of cars sitting on the same track.
The initial collision caused the derailment of 15 cars, which after tipping knocked an additional 15 cars off adjacent tracks.
The collision caused a leak in a car carrying potassium hydroxide, a chemical that is a known skin irritant but poses no respiratory risks.
“At about 3:40 a.m. we were able to stop the leak,” said Steve Forsberg, spokesman for BNSF. “We estimate that 8,000 gallons pooled up in a ditch and we have begun to go about neutralizing the chemical.”
Springfield’s Hazardous Materials Response team was called to the scene as a precaution, but the cleanup was handled by BNSF workers. The railyard is located at Division Street and Park Avenue.
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The collision caused no serious injuries.
“The yard foreman, who was on the … cars that came uncoupled, jumped before the collision and suffered minor abrasions, but declined treatment,” Forsberg said. “There was no one working on the adjacent lines where cars were derailed.”
The yard foreman has yet to be identified.
Cleanup of the accident will continue over the next several days with no set timeframe and will include removal of about 12 inches of soil contaminated with potassium hydroxide, removal of the tipped cars and track repair.