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MILFORD – A westbound CSX train derailed late Wednesday night, with the engineers reporting straight line wind knocking two engines and at least three cars off their rails.
The incident occurred just south of the Elkhart-Kosciusko county line, east of CR 300W. CR 1350N runs to the south of the scene.
According to Nappanee Fire Chief Don Lehman, the original emergency call came in stating there was a derailment at Elkhart CR 11 near U.S. 6. That crossing is in Elkhart County. Finding nothing there, first responders then checked the crossing at CR 13, which becomes CR 400W at the county line in Gravelton. There they were able to see the wreckage.
Lehman estimated the engines were between an eighth and a quarter mile east of CR 300W.
“When we got there we saw an engine that had rolled off the track,” Lehman said. “The track is elevated there, and there’s a deep ditch on the south side and a deep ditch on the north side. So we had to walk down the tracks.
“The engineers were still in the train, so we had to extricate them. They were mobile to the point where they were assessed, then walked back to the ambulance that transported them to Goshen Hospital.”
Lehman said while there was no official cause of the derailment listed, the engineers said it was strong winds that knocked over the train. He added that railroad officials told him only three rail cars, carrying empty shipping containers, derailed, but Lehman felt like the number of derailed cars was closer to eight.
Ed Rock, emergency management director for Kosciusko County, said he was called to the scene as a precaution.
“It wasn’t necessarily because of hazardous materials, it just wasn’t a normal incident and they requested my presence,” he said.
Rock noted the protocols the railroad has in place to handle such situations worked well, and that a remediation team responded almost immediately after the incident.
A statement released by a CSX spokesperson said, “At approximately midnight last night, a westbound CSX intermodal train headed to Chicago derailed in Nappanee. Our primary concern at this point is the well-being of the dedicated crew members who sustained non-life threatening injuries. CSX appreciates the swift assistance of the local first responders, who are on scene with CSX personnel to assess the situation.
“While the cause of this incident is under investigation, it appears that severe weather may have been a factor. The incident involved two locomotives and several intermodal containers. No other injuries have been reported.”
