text size Train carrying passenger van derails in Altoona Updated: Saturday, September 20 2014, 07:41 PM EDT By: Jackalyn Kovac ALTOONA, Pa. -- A train carrying passenger vans and cars derailed in Altoona Saturday morning. Crews were called to the intersection of 10th Avenue and 21st Street. They found 26 train cars damaged; 17 were derailed. The impact of the crash flipped at least one car, which landed on a parked car feet away from several homes on 10th Avenue. Robert Hofer told 6 News he stepped outside when heard a loud crash coming from the tracks. [I felt] terror. Absolute terror because I thought the one car was gonna come down right on top of me. I saw it go up in the air, and come down and I thought I was gonna die right there, Hofer said. No one was hurt. Residents living in nearby homes had to be evacuated for safety reasons. Neighbors nearby described hearing the screeching of metal as the train came to a rest across multiple tracks. When it first happened [I] heard a bunch of slamming. [I] could hear the train cars hitting the rocks. [I] heard it slam and hit the ground. [I] heard everything skid, and slide and then there was this big cloud of brown smoke ... it was just horrible, said Casey Case. Norfolk Southern released a statement at 2 p.m. Saturday: An eastbound [Norfolk Southern] train from Fostoria, Ohio, heading to Wilmington, Del., derailed as it moved through a crossover track at 9:45 a.m. Seventeen cars derailed and nine cars are on their sides. No hazardous materials were involved. No injuries. The cars that are on their sides were hauling automobiles. The train has two locomotives and 107 loaded cars. [Norfolk Southern] acted immediately to respond to the incident. We have contractors at the scene and on their way to begin clean up. [Theres] no timetable yet for when cleanup will be complete. [The] cause is under investigation. Blair County EMA Director Dan Boyels said the passenger vans and cars being transported had two gallons of gasoline inside, making the plan to remove the train delicate. Were not out of the woods yet. Nobodys gotten hurt so whenever [Norfolk Southern] starts moving the vehicles then we have to be ready in case we have a spark, Boyels said. Officials believe the cleanup could take days, but the crews biggest concern was removing the train cars and fixing the track. The American Red Read More at: wjactv/news/features/top-stories/stories/train-carrying-passenger-van-derails-altoona-3727.shtml
Posted on: Sun, 21 Sep 2014 16:01:22 +0000
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