DE SOTO, Wis. — Four people are now reported to have required medical treatment after a BNSF Railway train derailed along the Mississippi River on Thursday afternoon, with two cars entering the river.
Spectrum News reports an ambulance service transported four patients to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries in relation to the injury. A BNSF spokeswoman had originally reported all crew members were accounted, for with one requiring a medical evacuation.
The Wisconsin State Journal reports the derailment occurred about 12:15 p.m. between DeSoto and Ferryville, Wis. The location is about 30 miles south of La Crosse on BNSF’s Aurora Subdivision. BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent told the newspaper two of the train’s three locomotives and an unknown number of cars derailed.
Online images indicate the train involved was an intermodal train. Contents were said to include paint and batteries, but officials said materials were contained and did not pose a threat to the public. The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post that no evacuation was required, but State Route 35 was closed in De Soto as a result of the derailment.
The railroad has informed customers that it estimates it will have one track reopened on the route — its main line between Chicago and the Twin Cities — by 6 a.m. on Saturday, April 29, with the second open by 8 p.m.
— Updated at 9:40 a.m. CDT with new injury figure, BNSF estimate on reopening of rail line.
I’m wondering if the flooding from the Mississippi had anything to do with this.
My prayers are with the injured crew member.
I wonder if any Chicago-Pacific Northwest traffic will detour via Galesburg, Lincoln, and Alliance. Or if any will detour over other railroads.
Hope no more get hurt.
FELA up my brother and get paid big bucks.
The train was Z-SSECHC.
Thanks John. That symbol for the uninitiated is South Seattle WA to Chicago Z train, which I think is used for the high priority intermodal.