Federal Investigation Documents Released
A significant number of reports and interviews related to the ongoing National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation into last year’s BNSF coal train derailment north of Pueblo are now available online.
Accident Overview
Investigators discovered a broken rail near the location where six coal cars fell onto Interstate 25, leading to a partial collapse of a bridge. Tragically, this incident resulted in the death of truck driver Lafollette Henderson from California.
Contents of the Released Documents
The newly released documents contain hundreds of pages detailing interviews with railroad staff, along with findings from various tests and inspections conducted post-accident.
Details of the Incident
At the time of the accident, the train was traveling from Denver to La Junta at a speed of 32 miles per hour, which is within the permitted limits. The train crew reported that both the conditions and equipment appeared normal leading up to the crash.
Engineer’s Account
According to the report, as the train approached the bridge, the crew encountered a section of rough track that caused significant shaking. The locomotive engineer activated the air brakes and subsequently the emergency system to halt the train.
Initial Response
The engineer reported being unaware of the derailment initially due to dust obscuring visibility in his mirrors. Once the dust settled, he noticed that some cars had tipped over, spilling coal, while the first four cars behind the locomotives remained upright. He then issued an emergency alert over the radio and contacted 9-1-1.
Future Steps in the Investigation
Sarah Taylor Sulick, a spokesperson for the NTSB, noted that it is standard practice to release gathered documents around a year into the investigation. She emphasized that the current reports do not include analysis, potential causes, or recommendations for preventing similar incidents; those will be addressed in the final report, which may take 12 to 24 months to complete.
