Toxic East Palestine Train Derailment Was “100% Preventable”

The Norfolk Southern Railroad Derailment East Palestine, Ohio, “was 100 percent preventable” And not an “accident,” Thursday’s announcement was made by investigators.

They were prepared in their preliminary Report The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which was investigating the February 3 toxic chemical leak and subsequent contamination of water and air in a northeastern Ohio community, stated that the operator had received warnings to prevent this from happening.

According to the agency that investigates accidents in transportation, “critical audible alarm message [instructed] the crew to slow and stop the train to inspect a hot axle,” When a hot bearing detector system detected high levels of heat. After hearing the warning, the engineer of the train, who was already braking because there was a train ahead, stopped. “increased the dynamic brake application to further slow and stop the train.”

However, the safety device which “detect[s] overheated bearings and provide[s] audible real-time warnings to train crews,” It wasn’t enough, even though the train went through three of them. “on its trip before the derailment,” The report states that
 

Through the first system sensor, it was 38 degrees higher than the ambient temperature for the suspect bearing of the 23rd car. It was 103 degrees higher than ambient at the second system. NTSB stated that at the third system, “the suspect bearing’s temperature [was] at 253°F above ambient.” 

“After the train stopped, the crew observed fire and smoke and notified the Cleveland East dispatcher of a possible derailment. With dispatcher authorization, the crew applied handbrakes to the two railcars at the head of the train, uncoupled the head-end locomotives, and moved the locomotives about 1 mile from the uncoupled railcars,” The NTSB wrote. “Responders arrived at the derailment site and began response efforts.” 

The report also included more evidence to support this assertion. “visibility conditions were dark and clear; the weather was 10°F with no precipitation” When the train is with “hazardous materials tank cars transporting combustible liquids, flammable liquids, and flammable gas, including vinyl chloride” Derailed.

Jennifer Homendy, NTSB Chair, stated in a Press conference The derailment and the environmental catastrophe “was 100 percent preventable.”

“We call things accidents. There is no accident. Every single event that we investigate is preventable,” She said. “So our hearts are with, you know, that the NTSB has one goal and that is safety and ensuring that this never happens again.”

Homendy also stated that her agency will hold a rare investigative field hearing in spring. East PalestineClick ” to find out more about the derailment. 

“We don’t have investigative hearings often. It is rare, but we will question invited witnesses,” The chair said. “We have four goals for conducting an investigative field hearing: number one, inform the public. Number two, collect factual information from witnesses. Number three, discuss possible solutions. And number four, build consensus for change.”

Homendy said that a final report could take between 12-18 months.

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