THE head of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has accused Norfolk Southern Railway of interfering with its investigation into the 2023 East Palestine, Ohio, derailment and the flawed decision to blow open five tank cars and burn the vinyl chloride inside, reported the Associated press.
The ntsb also confirmed at a recent hearing that the derailment was caused by a faulty wheel bearing that video showed was on fire for more than 20 miles beforehand but wasn't caught in time by inaccurate trackside detectors.
More than three dozen freight cars derailed February 3, 2023, on the outskirts of East Palestine near the Pennsylvania border, including 11 carrying hazardous materials.
Some residents were evacuated that night, but days later more had to leave their homes amid fears of an imminent explosion. Despite potential health effects, officials intentionally released and burned toxic vinyl chloride three days after the crash, sending flames and smoke into the air.At the end of the meeting, NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy accused Norfolk Southern of interfering with the investigation and abusing its status as a party to the probe to help gather information. 'Norfolk Southern's abuse of the party process was unprecedented and reprehensible,' she said.
Numerous times, Ms Homendy said, the railroad delayed or failed to give investigators information. Twice, she called the railway at the request of investigators and threatened to issue subpoenas for information, she said.
A railway contractor told investigators that it did not take or keep records of temperature changes on the tank cars containing vinyl chloride, she said. But the NTSB suspected otherwise.
'We found through text messages through one of their employees, who provided that information in later interviews that they did keep those records,' Ms Homendy said. 'It took about two months before the team received those texts and the emails.'
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The ntsb also confirmed at a recent hearing that the derailment was caused by a faulty wheel bearing that video showed was on fire for more than 20 miles beforehand but wasn't caught in time by inaccurate trackside detectors.
More than three dozen freight cars derailed February 3, 2023, on the outskirts of East Palestine near the Pennsylvania border, including 11 carrying hazardous materials.
Some residents were evacuated that night, but days later more had to leave their homes amid fears of an imminent explosion. Despite potential health effects, officials intentionally released and burned toxic vinyl chloride three days after the crash, sending flames and smoke into the air.At the end of the meeting, NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy accused Norfolk Southern of interfering with the investigation and abusing its status as a party to the probe to help gather information. 'Norfolk Southern's abuse of the party process was unprecedented and reprehensible,' she said.
Numerous times, Ms Homendy said, the railroad delayed or failed to give investigators information. Twice, she called the railway at the request of investigators and threatened to issue subpoenas for information, she said.
A railway contractor told investigators that it did not take or keep records of temperature changes on the tank cars containing vinyl chloride, she said. But the NTSB suspected otherwise.
'We found through text messages through one of their employees, who provided that information in later interviews that they did keep those records,' Ms Homendy said. 'It took about two months before the team received those texts and the emails.'
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