(The Munster Times posted the following story by Mary Wilds on its website on June 13.)
ST. JOHN, Ind. — Officials remained mum Thursday regarding the condition of three CSX employees injured during Wednesday’s train derailment behind Schilling Brothers Lumber Co.
New federal privacy guidelines forbid the release of the victims’ names or medical condition without their consent, though fire officials said Wednesday that all three suffered serious traumatic injuries.
Two of the victims were removed from the train wreckage via the Jaws of Life, while the third crawled to safety with the help of a Schilling employee, and all three were transported to local hospitals.
The victims had been trapped in one of the locomotives, which had fallen to its side after derailment. The other locomotive, while involved in the incident, remained upright.
Fuel cleanup and track repair continued at the site Thursday as hazardous materials crews removed contaminated soil, and tracks reopened to train traffic.
CSX spokesman David Hall said the two engines, two freight cars and a caboose involved in the derailment have been removed from the site and sent to Chicago to be examined by investigators. The track itself, except for one minor side portion, is open again for train traffic.
The cause of the derailment is still unknown, he added. The incident occurred about 12:35 p.m., directly behind Schilling Brothers property along U.S. 41, about a mile south of Lake Central High School.
The train, based out of Lafayette, was delivering lumber to a local business, although Hall would not identify the customer.
Cleanup of more than 6,000 gallons of hydraulic oil and diesel fuel that spilled after the crash also began Wednesday and should continue into the weekend, officials said.
Ralph McCullers, on-scene coordinator for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, said the damage is largely repairable.
“I don’t want to say this wasn’t a major incident,” McCullers said. But the unique topography of the site allowed most of the spill to run into ditches alongside the track. Thus, both rail repair and fuel cleanup have been able to go on simultaneously.
Todd Wilkening, Lake County hazardous materials coordinator, said a contractor hired by the county is hauling contaminated soil to a landfill and bringing in fresh dirt as fill.
“It was a bad incident because people were hurt, but for us, the spill was all contained,” he said. “The ditches made it easy for us.”
Also, immediately following the crash, workers had used vacuums and absorbent materials to remove the fuel and building berms made of sandbags to stop its flow from the ditches.
Wilkening declined to comment on the eventual cost of the cleanup.
St. John firefighters, despite their crucial role in Wednesday’s rescue of the trapped workers, were not needed on the scene Thursday.
“(Our role) is pretty much over,” said Capt. Jim Funk, department public information officer.
Fire officials are pleased with the smooth rescue and coordination of efforts between agencies, he added.
“We were just talking today about how well everything went, and (rail officials) told the chief the same thing,” he said.