Suffolk Derailment Sends Five Cars off the Tracks

Derailments are common on the railroads of the United States. They pose a danger to railroad workers and communities living near the tracks. Another derailment was reported this afternoon in Suffolk.

About five cars derailed in the area of Shoulders Hill Road and Baron Boulevard, according to a press release from Diana Klink with the City of Suffolk.

No injuries were reported in the recent Suffolk derailment. Public works crews set up detour signs as traffic was sent through the Meadows neighborhood. Nansemond Parkway remained open.

The cause of the derailment is under investigation, according to Klink. The derailment was reported at just after 4 p.m. on Monday. Commonwealth Railway, Inc. will be handling the clean-up, media reports stated.

No other details were provided about the latest derailment. The City of Suffolk said no hazardous materials were on the train. However, it’s unclear what materials were on board the train.

The incident occurred just days after multiple cars on a train derailed in Fort Mill in South Carolina.

Officials said 16 cars on a Norfolk Southern train derailed last Friday near a residential area in Fort Mill.

Two empty cars plummeted over Steele Creek and nine more overturned onto the embankment. Other cars were carrying paper.

A crane was brought in to lift the rail cars out of the water and off the embankment.

Although some freight cars carrying vehicles were reported to be damaged, all rail cars were successfully removed from the track.

The accident occurred just months after a more serious crash in South Carolina in which an Amtrak train collided with a parked CSX train. Two crew members on the Amtrak train were killed and at least 70 people were injured when Amtrak Train 91 hit a CSX freight train.

The lead engine and some passenger cars derailed following the impact. The Amtrak crash in February was traced to a locked switch on the CSX tracks that diverted the Amtrak train into a siding where it collided with the parked CSX train.

Issues on the tracks and broken rails are the leading cause of derailments on the railroads of America.

Derailments are the top cause of train crashes in the United States. Between 2001 and 2010, 54,889 of the 58,299 train accidents that occurred, in the United States were train derailments, a staggering 94 percent.

As America’s railroad infrastructure becomes older, we may see more derailments.

Broken rails and welds are more than twice as likely to have caused train derailments than the second and third leading causes — track geometry and the failure of bearings, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. Broken rails and welds were found to be a factor in 15 percent of derailments.

Track geometry, which includes such things as train alignment, gauge and elevation, was responsible for 7.3 percent of derailments and bearing failure was responsible for 5.9 percent of derailments.

Human error remains a major issue on the railroads and lawsuits for deaths and injuries have been brought against operators such as Amtrak.

If you have been hurt on the railroad as a worker or a passenger, please contact our experienced Virginia railroad injury lawyers at (757) 333-3333.