3 Injured in West Virginia Train Derailment That Sent Diesel Fuel, Oil Into River

Smoke fills the sky after an empty CSX coal train hit a rockslide along tracks causing a fiery derailment in a remote area just south of Sandstone, W.Va., on March 8, 2023. Jenny Harnish/The Register-Herald via AP

Three people have been injured after an empty coal train operated by CSX Corp. derailed on March 8 after hitting a rock slide in a remote area of West Virginia.

All four of the train’s locomotives and nine empty coal cars derailed in a remote area just south of Sandstone, Summers County, inside the New River National Park and Preserve, CSX said in a statement. The incident happened just before 5 a.m. local time.

The lead locomotive was carrying three crew members—a conductor, an engineer, and an engineer trainee—and caught fire after striking the rock slide and derailing, CSX said.

Local fire departments arrived on the scene to put out the fire and all three crew members are safe and were evaluated and treated for “non-life threatening injuries,” according to the train operator.

Two of the crew members were airlifted and the third was taken to the hospital in an ambulance, a Summers County Office of Emergency Management dispatcher told CNN.

“An unknown quantity of diesel fuel and oil spilled from the derailed locomotives and environmental measures will be deployed in the New River for containment,” CSX said.

No Danger to Public, Officials Say

No hazardous materials were onboard the train, according to officials, and there is currently no danger to the public.

“We greatly appreciate the swift actions of the local first responders in Sandstone that rendered aide to our valued crew members,” CSX said. “The safety of our employees and the community is our top priority as we dispatch our teams to assess the situation and develop a plan to completely restore the area. Our team is in close contact with local police and fire officials and we will continue to work closely with them on our recovery efforts.”

The Federal Rail Administration said it was monitoring the derailment and added that the fire was extinguished. It also said the derailment occurred on an Amtrak route and may lead to residual service delays.

According to a statement from the West Virginia Emergency Management Division (WVEMD), there were a total of 109 cars on the train, all of which were empty, and at least one locomotive and one fuel tank went into the New River.

“CSX owns twelve feet from the middle of the track to either side and will be responsible for cleanup,” WVEMD said.

The train operator is sending a “spill response unit” to the area, according to WVEMD, and will work with the agency on cleanup efforts.

“At the time of this report, no roads are closed, nor has there been an evacuation of nearby homes,” WVEMD said. “It is unknown when the tracks will be repaired to allow new rail traffic. Diesel fuel from the wreckage has been observed entering the New River.”

Recent Derailments

Several agencies are now monitoring the situation and once the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health (BPH) was made aware of the incident, public water systems downstream and local health departments were notified, officials said.

“BPH is continuing to collect information and monitor the event for any potential public health impacts,” officials said. “West Virginia American Water is monitoring and has early detection equipment for their source water. The nearest water intake is in a lake at Hawk’s Nest. If it is confirmed that fuel has entered the water, the fuel is expected to float as it passes by the intake.”

“West Virginia American Water has not shut down their intakes,” WVEMD said.

Wednesday’s incident marks the latest in a string of derailments across the country. Over the weekend, a Norfolk Southern Corp. train derailed in Springfield, Ohio.

Prior to that, a train carrying around 30,000 gallons of propane derailed in Florida’s Manatee County on Feb. 28 and another Norfolk Southern train derailed in the Van Buren township outside of Detroit on Feb. 16.

Those incidents came after a train carrying toxic chemicals, including vinyl chloride, came off the tracks in East Palestine, Ohio on Feb. 3, causing one of the worst environmental disasters in recent history and prompting bipartisan political efforts to prevent similar disasters from occurring in the future.