CSX: Bearing failed 9 miles before Maryville derailment
MARYVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – CSX Transportation Inc. says in court filings that the mechanical failure that caused a July 2015 train derailment resulting in the evacuation of 5,000 Maryville residents actually began about nine miles earlier.
The Daily Times reports CSX explained the cause of the derailment of a tank car carrying 24,000 gallons of a toxic chemical called acrylonitrile in responses filed Thursday to two lawsuits.
CSX says a roller bearing initially failed near Singleton Station Road crossing in Louisville. Equipment designed to detect the problem failed to do so for about nine miles. In the meantime, a broken axle punctured the tank car and started a fire that burned over 16 hours, sending dozens to the hospital.
CSX and co-defendant Union Tank Car Co. claim the lawsuits are frivolous.
