Experts Say Devastating East Palestine Train Derailment Is Indicative of the Railroad Industry
“They don’t care about the safety situation.” – National railroad safety expert Bob Comer speaking about the East Palestine “bomb train” derailment
Norfolk Southern, the railroad company responsible for the fiery train derailment in East Palestine, has among the highest train accident rates nationally and the highest number of derailments in Ohio, a USA TODAY Network analysis of federal safety data shows. Norfolk Southern has reported an average of nearly 261 accidents a year since 2019 and roughly three accidents per million train miles. The number of train accidents in Ohio has increased over the last five years, with an average of 32 train accidents from 2018 to 2023.
Although an official cause has not been determined for the February 3, 2023, accident, the National Transportation Safety Board has pointed to a mechanical issue with a rail car axle as a potential cause of the derailment. There were only three people – a locomotive engineer, a conductor, and a conductor trainee – aboard to monitor the 150 cars on the East Palestine trip, and the train was not marked as hazardous, despite the chemicals on board.
National railroad safety expert Bob Comer believes Norfolk’s substandard safety record is indicative of the railroad industry. Comer believes railroads routinely prioritize profits over safety, and most major rail companies have moved to operating longer trains with a mix of freight to haul more loads on fewer trips with fewer workers.
“When you think about running a train that is two to three miles long, they are going to make a ton of money from running that train,” said Comer. “They don’t care about the safety situation.”
These train lines are often dubbed “bomb trains” by those in the rail industry and environmental groups. Justin Mikulka, who researched the rail industry’s pitfalls and disasters and wrote the book Bomb Trains: How Industry Greed and Regulatory Failure Put the Public at Risk, said weakened regulations and a rush to reopen is to be expected. “While the trains are still burning, they’re rebuilding the rails,” Mikulka said. “It’s again an excellent example of how they put profit over public safety.”
There are negative consequences of the derailment that will pop up in the years to come in the form of bodily injury and property devaluation and loss. These impacts are not currently known or immediately apparent. Accordingly, it is important to speak to our lawyers before accepting any compensation.
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