Railroad crewmen burned when train encounters burning trestle in Clarke County
(The following story by Mark R. Kent appeared on the Press-Register website on January 14, 2010.)
MOBILE, Ala. Two men were burned late Tuesday night when their Norfolk Southern Railway train encountered a burning trestle in Clarke County, then ground to a stop directly over the fire, authorities said.
The men, whose names were not released, were taken to the University of South Alabama Medical Center in Mobile with burns, railroad spokesman Robin Chapman said Wednesday night.
According to Chapman, the southbound freight train led by three locomotives braked about 9:30 p.m. when the crewmen saw the trestle afire, and the diesel fuel ignited as the men jumped into the water below.
Becky Neugent with Clarke County 911 identified the body of water as Simmons Creek near Walker Springs, about six miles northeast of Jackson.
Chapman said the men contacted their trainmaster, then waited about an hour for help to reach them in the remote stretch of track. He said the fire spread to all three locomotives, which remained at the bridge Wednesday night.
Chapman said all operations on the Birmingham-to-Mobile line of Norfolk Southern have been halted until repairs can be made. The line passes through north Mobile County parallel to U.S. 43 before reaching Mobile.
Neugent said Clarke County Emergency Management Agency and a number of volunteer fire departments and other first responders spent Wednesday at the scene getting the fire under control. The cause of the trestle fire is not known.
CLARKE COUNTY, Ala. -- UTU member Aaron Milhouse, 46, died Jan. 14 from injuries suffered as a result of a Norfolk Southern train fire Jan. 12.
Milhouse was one of two Norfolk Southern train-crew members who suffered burn injuries in the fire and were taken by helicopter to area hospitals, said Clark County EMA Director Roy Waite.
UTU State Legislative Director Ronnie Clements said Mickey Stepp, 47, remains hospitalized at the University of Southern Alabama Hospital in Mobile.
The men were burned when their train encountered a burning trestle in Clarke County, then ground to a stop directly over the fire, local authorities reported.
According to railroad spokesman Robin Chapman, as reported by the Mobile Press-Register, the southbound freight train led by three locomotives braked about 9:30 p.m., when the crewmen saw the trestle on fire. The diesel fuel ignited as the men jumped into the water below.
Chapman said the men contacted their trainmaster, then waited about an hour for help to reach them in the remote stretch of track. He said the fire spread to all three locomotives, which remained on the bridge Wednesday night.
