LEONARD GRAY

RUDDOCK – Cleanup operations on Friday’s train wreck near the Ruddock water wells were expected to be completed this week, according to St. John the Baptist Parish Civil Defense Director Paul J. Oncale. A 26-car Canadian National train was northbound on the Illinois Central tracks, approaching Manchac at 4:19 p.m. For reasons unknown at this time, as the accident remains under investigation, the slow-moving train derailed several of its cars, 19 of them skipping off the track, seven more landing on their sides, and one bursting open. The 20,000-gallon, fully loaded tank car cracked open and lost its entire load of styrene monomer, a flammable hazardous material used in plastics manufacture which can also irritate eyes and mucous membranes. In addition, three other cars leaked their contents – one containing styrene monomer and two others with phospheric acid. The spill itself was contained within a 200-foot area, and cleanup crews worked under DEQ supervision to ensure minimal environmental impact. The accident happened four miles north of the Ruddock exit from Interstate 55, some 200 feet east of old U.S. Highway 51. The train was en route from Geismar to Memphis, Tenn. Trains scheduled for later use of the track were diverted, causing delays to passenger and freight trains having to add hours to their schedule, according to a State Police spokesperson. Responding crews had to construct a roadway to reach the accident scene because of the swampy terrain, Oncale said. Immediately, everyone from the State Police to the state Department of Environmental Quality responded to the accident. No one was injured, and the effects of the spill on the marsh should be minimal, Oncale said. By Sunday, nine of the cars were back on the track and transloading of the cargo was well underway. By Tuesday morning, all of the cars carrying hazardous material had been transloaded, set upright and were expected to be moved away from the scene. Interstate 55 remained open throughout, but Highway 51 remained closed through Tuesday between Ruddock and Manchac, with traffic diverted to the interstate. No effects were expected to the Ruddock wells, which supply LaPlace with much of its drinking water, and none of the styrene monomer will reach the lake, Oncale added. The nearest residence to the accident scene is two miles away, in Manchac, and no evacuations were deemed necessary. This was the second Canadian National train derailment in two weeks, with a 105-car train losing three cars from the track and one on its side on July 10. That incident, less than a mile from this derailment, caused a small brush fire.