(The Associated Press distributed the following article by Laura Wides on June 27.)
COMMERCE, Calif. — People whose homes were deluged in tons of flying debris when a freight train jumped the tracks cheered loudly at a meeting where City Council members challenged railroad officials to explain why they weren’t warned that the runaway cars were coming.
Union Pacific representatives apologized and promised a “very deep review” of their emergency procedures at the town hall meeting Thursday night with residents of this Los Angeles suburb where the 28 runaway freight cars spilled off the tracks last week and damaged or destroyed several homes.
Several hundred residents also gave standing ovations to emergency crews who responded to the crash.
The cars, which had rolled out of a switching yard in Montclair, traveled 30 miles before derailing. Council member Ray Cisneros called the company’s failure to give the city advance warning “blatant disregard for the citizens of Commerce.”
“It seems to me that Commerce was made a sacrificial lamb,” he said of the derailment that demolished two homes, heavily damaged six others and hurt 13 people.
Jeff Verhaal, Western regional vice president for Union Pacific, told the crowd: “On behalf of Union Pacific and all of the employees, I’d like to apologize for the accident and take full responsibility for what happened.”
Verhaal said the company’s priority upon learning of the runaway cars was to find a safe place “where we could bring the train to a stop.” He promised to improve the company’s notification system.
The meeting came a day after the National Transportation Safety Board announced Union Pacific had no plan in place to deal with runaway rail cars.
Some residents said they were amazed at the lack of emergency plans.
“Such a big company and you don’t have a rule for runaway trains?” asked Javier Vasquez. He criticized Union Pacific for its slow offer of counseling assistance to victims and delays in getting debris picked up.
Railroad officials told residents they had no choice but to sidetrack the cars in Commerce, adding that they hoped they would derail onto railroad property and not the residential neighborhood. “We have very deep review to do of our emergency response. We have begun to do that,” said Ted Lewis, general superintendent of operations for the Los Angeles area.