A preliminary report for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) indicates that a bad "spring switch" may have caused the train derailment in neighboring Wabash County in July.
24 cars of a Norfolk Southern mixed freight train derailed while passing over the switch near the town of Browns. The derailed cars then collided with another stationary mixed freight train holding on a siding adjacent to the derailment site. Two tank cars containing molten sulfur ruptured and spilled onto the tracks and another tank car carrying denatured ethanol fuel also ruptured and spilled.
Two railroad crew members were injured on the stopped train. The locomotive engineer suffered a leg injury and was treated at a local hospital and an engineer trainee was hurt when molten sulfur splashed onto him. He was initially treated at the scene and was later transferred by air to an area burn trauma center.
The investigative report also is focusing on potential track maintenance issues. a date for release of the final report was not given.
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