2 injured in train collision
By Shana Gregory
Derby Reporter - December 18, 2007

A train collision south of Derby yesterday morning seriously injured two people.

The collision was reported just before 10 a.m. Monday in the 10,000 block of K-15

Sedgwick County rescue workers transported one of the injured victims to Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis, where she is in critical condition. The other was transported to Wesley Medical Center by Mulvane authorities, where he is in fair condition.

As of press time, their names had not been released.

The accident was initially reported as two trains that collided head-on, a Kansas Highway Patrol dispatcher said, but after troopers arrived on the scene they said the collision involved one train and nine rail cars.

The dispatcher said the rail cars may have been left on the rail line.

Mulvane Public Safety Fire Capt. Lowell Ester, however, said that it was actually two moving trains that had collided.

"What we understand is that a southbound train was moving from one track to another and a northbound train apparently ran a stop light and hit the southbound train," Ester said.

The train hit the side of the other train as it was switching from one track to another.

"The northbound train failed to yield and collided with the side of the other train," Ester said.

A female engineer and a male conductor obtained serious injuries from the wreck.

"The engineer wasn't actually held by the wreckage, but the cab was destroyed so badly it was hard getting her out," Ester said.

After the collision, one rail car was leaking a white substance, which turned out to be plastic pellets, which is not a dangerous substance.

A tank car full of diesel fuel was also overturned, but it didn't produce any leaks.

"The locomotive that was hit was slightly derailed," Ester said. "And six cars were totally off the track on the west side near the river.

"It could have a been a lot worse, though. Nobody was killed and no toxic matter was released. It could happen any time around here."

Derby authorities initially responded to the wreck, but found they were not needed.

"We went out to see if any hazardous materials had been released that would cause a concern for the population of Derby," Derby Fire Chief Brad Smith said. "We found that nothing was involved that we had to be concerned with."

K-15 was closed for a time after the wreck but has since reopened.

The rail line was also closed for a time.

Gwen Romine, KSFFA Webmaster - ksffa@embarqmail.com
www.ksffa.com