Fatal 2005 Mississippi Train Accident Should Have Been Avoided, NTSB Says
Earlier this week, the National Transportation Safety Board detailed how a 2005 Jacksonville, Mississippi train accident which resulted in the fatal personal injuries of four people should have been avoided. Specifically, the NTSB attributed the fatal train accident in Yazoo County to the fatigue of a railroad crew, the failure to stop at a signal and a lack of equipment designed to prevent accidents.
A KATC3 story detailed that the accident occurred around 4:15 a.m. on July 10, 2005 when northbound and southbound freight trains collided on the north side of a bridge in Yazoo County. Four Canadian National Railway Co. crew members – two from each train – died during the accident, which also caused the derailment of six locomotives and 17 cars. This derailment then prompted the release of 15,000 gallons of diesel fuel and an ensuing 15-hour fire.
After reviewing a preliminary report, the NTSB said on Tuesday that the northbound train should have seen an approach signal and slowed down. There was no indication that the brakes of the northbound train were applied by its conductor, Lee Samuel Jones Jr., who was one of the four casualties. The NTSB also attributed the crash to the lack of a “positive train control,” a piece of equipment which would have automatically stopped the northbound train before the collision.
Canadian National spokesman Jim Kvedaras told the Clarion-Ledger newspaper that the company would not comment on the accident until the final report is released. Other victims in this 2005 Mississippi train accident included northbound engineer Arthur L. "Buddy" Irby, and southbound conductor Shannon Purvis and engineer Mark Cain.
Also this past week, federal railroad administrator Joseph Boardman said that a specifically designed train will examine more than 1,300 miles of CSX Corp. track following three train derailments in the past couple of months. Read more about this federal investigation into recent CSX New York train accidents and stay updated on the latest train news at the TrainBlog.