Updates on train derailment near McNairy-Hardeman County line

MCNAIRY COUNTY, Tenn.– In a densely wooded area along the McNairy-Hardeman County line late Sunday night, a Norfolk Southern train derailed. WBBJ 7 Eyewitness New traveled to the site today to gather as much information about the incident as possible.

Big Hill Pond State Park is about the closest you can get to the train derailment. It’s still about two and a half miles down the railroad tracks towards the west. We spoke to representatives from the train company, Norfolk Southern, that said it was actually a fallen tree on the tracks that caused the derailment.

The company told us while on scene, more than 15 train cars had been derailed. When we spoke to representatives, they said that the cars were not toppled over or completely derailed but instead just misaligned from the track. However, from pictures we received from an anonymous source, the cars are seen completely removed from the tracks.

The representatives from the train company did say they don’t really know when all the wreckage will be cleaned up but they do expect it should be relatively soon. Near the scene, our crews saw multiple heavy machinery crews and personnel being carried back and forth on trucks from a location at an intersection near Big Hill Pond State Park to the incident site.

We traveled to the incident site but were told by Norfolk Southern supervisors, we were not allowed to shoot video of the scene. Representatives from the company say the train derailment did not cause any injuries nor did it contain any hazardous materials.