911 Calls Foretold Train Derailment
Railway companies were warned of rail problems before crash
AP
On the night of the freight train derailment in Rockford, at least four 911 calls came in earlier to warn of flooded rails. Were they ignored?
A horrible freight train derailment in Rockford left a woman dead Friday night.
That day had been one of record rainfall, and witnesses say the train cars hydroplaned in standing water, causing the cars to leave the tracks. Two tanker cars exploded and other tankers later caught fire.
But could the accident have been prevented?
Sharon and Gene Opsahl crossed the tracks in their SUV at South Mulford Road a full hour before the incident and noticed that the tracks had been washed out. The couple used a cell phone to call 911.
"I said, 'If a train comes through here, you're going to be in big trouble because the road bed is gone underneath the track.' She said, 'I know who to call and I'll make the call,'" Gene Opsahl said.
In fact, three other 911 calls were made that night, warning of the flooded rails.
So what happened?
In at least two of the instances, a 911 operator contacted the railway. Both Union Pacific and CN were contacted over 20 minutes before the crash, said Winnebago County Sheriff Dick Meyers.
"We're looking at phone calls we received prior to (the accident), we're looking at what we did with those phone calls, what information was passed on, who was it passed on to," Meyers said.
The Opsahls were astonished when they learned of the accident, especially considering they had called 911 to warn of such a potential hazard.
"How effective is 911?" Sharon Opsahl asked. "I thought it was to be for all emergencies, and now it just makes me wonder."
She continued, "Perhaps somebody could be alive now."
CN and Union Pacific representatives declined to comment.
Matt Bartosik is the editor of Off the Rocks' next issue and a "between blogs" blogger.
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