(The following article is from the Citizens Voice.)
LAFLIN, Pa. — A Canadian Pacific Railway train derailed about 6 a.m. Tuesday at a point near the border between Plains Township and Laflin along Gardner’s Creek.Fourteen cars jumped the tracks, four of which were loaded with phosphoric acid.
However, officials said the acid was contained and did not spill.
No one was reported injured and railroad officials were unable to immediately explain why the derailment occurred.
Phosphoric acid can exist as a crystal or clear liquid.
It can affect human health through inhalation of mist, ingestion and contact with the skin and eyes.
It can severely irritate the upper respiratory tract, eyes and skin. It can burn the skin, mouth and eyes.
It can cause nausea, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, difficult swallowing, severe abdominal pains and even death.
It is used in the manufacturing of salts, soaps and detergents; fertilizers, yeast, fire control agents, opal glass, electric lights, dental cements, waxes and polishes; gelatin, soft drinks and as a gasoline additive.
The 90-unit train, that included four locomotives, originated in Philadelphia and was destined for Montreal, Canada, a 534-mile trip, when the accident occurred, according to Denise Nepveu, a spokeswoman for CP Rail in Montreal.
Plains Township Police Chief Edward Walsh said the incident forced the closure of several traffic arteries around the crash site.
He noted that CP Railway personnel were quick to arrive on the scene with manpower and heavy equipment to begin getting the derailed cars back on the tracks.
Laflin Borough Mayor Marc Malvizzi said from what he learned at 6 p.m., Canadian Pacific crews had estimated clean-up to be completed between 3 and 6 a.m. on Wednesday.
PENNDOT spokesman Dave Krisanda said several roads were closed during the morning hours, including Ridgewood Avenue (state Route 2011) near American Asphalt Paving Co.; Union Street (state Route 2011) in Hudson; Laflin Road (state Route 2026) from Shantytown to Union Street and a portion of Main Street.
By mid-afternoon, all the roads were re-opened except Laflin Road between the Union Street-Ridgewood Road intersection and Shantytown Road in Laflin.
Kevin O’Brien, deputy director of the Luzerne County Emergency Management Agency, said the railroad work crew was repairing sections of track that were damaged by the derailment.
He stressed that he did not think the derailment was caused by broken tracks although he said the exact cause of the mishap would have to be determined by the Canadian Pacific Railway investigators.
The county EMA official noted that no private property was damaged in the derailment.”The nearest home is about a half mile from the crash site. That was a help,” he observed.
O’Brien said a number of emergency personnel responded to the incident, including Plains Township, Laflin, Avoca and Jenkins Township fire and police departments, the American Red Cross and the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Last Nov. 15, approximately 500 people were evacuated from their homes in Laflin when 13 train cars, two of which were carrying 150,000 pounds of propane each, derailed.
The 90-car CP freight went off the track between Market and Conyngham streets.
“We don’t have any determination for either accident,” Malvizzi said. “We haven’t had a train wreck in 16 years in Laflin and in the past three months, we’ve had two.
“Of course we’ll be talking to Canadian Pacific, but until we learn what caused the accidents, we just have to wait and see,” Malvizzi noted.