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FOUNTAINTOWN — Bob Hook was fast asleep Thursday morning when he was jolted awake by a “God-awful sound.”
He wasn’t exactly sure what had happened. Train tracks run right past his and his wife Brenda’s home, but “we normally kind of ignore the train because we’ve lived here so long,” Hook said.
Within moments, the Hooks would discover that cars from a westbound CSX train had come off the track about 70 yards from their home in Fountaintown, just northwest of the intersection of U.S. 52 and State Road 9. The cars derailed at 8:11 a.m.
The train, with 80 cars, was on its way to Indianapolis when the accident occurred, an official from CSX said in a press release. Fourteen of the cars left the track, piling up accordion-style and coming to rest uncomfortably close to homes. Streets in town were blocked by the wreckage and power lines were knocked down, but no one was injured, officials said.
The investigation will focus on several possible causes, including a possible failure of the wheels on one of the leading cars or a problem with the track, an official said.
Brenda Hook’s sister-in-law called the couple within moments of all of them hearing the screeching sound to tell them a train car was sitting in her barn, just a stone’s throw from their home.
“We’ve seen some car vs. train accidents through the years here, but nothing ever like this before,” Brenda Hook said. “The crash is basically in our backyard.”
Wreckage ended up sitting in several neighborhood yards. One tumbling car knocked into a shed off North Division Road, obliterating it.
Officials on the scene noted no hazardous material was spilled, said Rita Reith of the Indianapolis Fire Department, who added IFD hazmat teams assessed the scene. However, officials from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department said they did evacuate some of the homes just north and south of the tracks just to be safe.
Two tank cars were ruptured in the crash, CSX said. One was carrying used cooking oil and the other was transporting plastic pellets. Officials from the IFD hazmat crews secured the leaks. Six of the derailed cars were empty. The rest of the derailed cars were carrying mixed freight, CSX said.
Brandon Kleine, chief of the Sugar Creek Township Fire Department, was leading one of the first-responder teams on site and said when they arrived, they were able to determine there were no injuries and then quickly discussed the cargo load with the train’s engineer.
“Once we got the manifest checked, we knew pretty quickly there wasn’t anything hazardous on board,” said Kleine, who was the incident commander. “But, when you first get on the scene of something like this, you’re always kind of amazed at how something like this can be so destructive.”
Standing on North Division Road looking south, residents could see one of the train cars lifted off the track, with one ending pointing some 25 feet into the air.
Missy Reichert has lived in the area since 2006 and has a home about 100 yards north of the tracks. She said she and her husband were standing in the kitchen making coffee getting ready to leave for work around 8:15 a.m. Thursday morning when they noticed the train that was passing by sounded very different from others that frequent the tracks.
“It sounded weird and it sounded fast and we kind of joked and said ‘Did the train just derail?'” Reichert said.
That’s about when their electricity began to flicker before going completely off.
“We looked out through the window and couldn’t really tell too much, so my husband left to go to work and headed towards the track, but he called right away and said ‘Oh my God, it’s a disaster down here,'” Reichert said.
The derailment shut down State Road 9 south of U.S. 52; the road was expected to remain closed for at least 24 hours. Other nearby roads also were closed by workers from the Indiana Department of Transportation.
While it will take some time for officials to determine the cause of the train crash, witnesses were stunned by the violent impact. One of the cars was jolted so quickly it actually came off its wheels, leaving the wheels sitting alone on the tracks with the car embedded in a grassy area several feet away.
Officials noted they have no idea how fast the train was going; that will be one of the things CSX officials will be looking into.
“They are looking at several preliminary options based on the damage – including a possible failure of the wheels on the front car or a possible flaw in the track itself,” Reith said. “The initial car failed at least 100 yards east of where it actually derailed.”
CSX is hoping to have its investigation complete, the rail repaired and back in service within 24 to 48 hours.
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CSX released this statement Thursday about the derailment in Fountaintown:
“At approximately 8:11 a.m. today, a CSX train headed to Avon yard in Indianapolis derailed fourteen railcars near North Division Road in Fountaintown, IN. Preliminary reports indicate that of the derailed cars, six are empty and eight are loaded with mixed freight. During the course of the derailment, the railcars impacted several power lines causing power disruption near the surrounding area. CSX is working closely with the local fire department, first responders, and Duke Energy to secure the site and restore power as quickly and safely as possible. There were no injuries to the train crew. The safety of the community and everyone on site is our top priority as we develop a recovery plan. The cause of the derailment remains under investigation.”
From Sheriee S. Bowman, Media Relations, CSX Transportation.
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