Graniteville Conductor talks about crash

Trains Magazine General Discussion
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Conductor recalls deadly day
(Knight Ridder circulated the following article by Sammy Fretwell on January 9.)

NEWBERRY, S.C. — The crash knocked conductor William Wright to the floor of his train after it ran off the main track at Avondale Mills early Jan. 6, 2005.

Wright remembers pain shooting through his shoulder and leg as engineer Chris Seeling radioed a dispatcher for help. Then the two waited, figuring emergency services workers would arrive soon enough to rescue them.

But deadly chlorine gas began seeping into their compartment. They had to flee.

“We were basically just running for our life,” Wright said.

In his first public interview since the Graniteville cra***hat killed nine people, Wright described his struggle through the toxic chlorine cloud and the legacy of the injuries he suffered that day.

The 42-year-old railroad conductor has damaged lungs from inhaling chlorine, and leg and shoulder injuries from the crash impact. He is believed to be the only surviving witness to the country’s deadliest railroad chemical accident since 1978.

The train Wright was aboard ran onto an industrial spur, slammed into a parked locomotive, and spewed a cloud of chlorine gas from a ruptured tank car. The National Transportation Safety Board blames the crew of the parked train for failing to flip a safety switch when they parked their locomotive on the industrial spur a day earlier.

Wright’s and Seeling’s families recently received settlements from Norfolk Southern to cover their injuries and suffering.

Hobbled by his leg injury, Wright followed the bloodied Seeling through the murky chlorine fog as they jumped from their train and ran across a yard toward the Avondale Mills textile plant.

They began to realize the magnitude of the chlorine spill.

Wright remembers talking to someone driving a pickup truck but doesn’t remember the driver.

Graniteville Fire Ch

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The Graniteville accident was indeed a tragedy. Even though a few people died from this accident we should still be grateful that at least Wright was able to survive this terrible accident. I’m sure it will take some time, maybe even several years, before he is able to fully recover from this.

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Thats a bad/good story. This is why a lot of people including me think that every track needs signals. Radio contact would be even better.

Victor

Happy Railroading.[swg][swg]

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ditto

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all 9 people that died should have survived.Alot in the Granitville area are greatful to be alive to see this day.Just like NY when the World Trade towers went down they stayed strong just like Granitville with the chroine spill.

kevin

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Radio contact with who?
The crew that tied the local down had left, so who you gonna call, Switchbusters?

Signal for what?
Some type of warning light about how the turnout was lined?
Thats what switch stands have targets for.
If you go to the expense of that, you might as well install CTC.

Look, I work in dark territory all the time…done correctly, it works.

The local crew screwed the pooch, got in a hurry, left and forgot to line behind.

Look at the wreck in Shepherd, Texas, same thing…in fact, the conductor went off and left his switch keys hanging in the lock.

Ed

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Signaling would be no help. The only thing that would help is the conductor remembering to line the switch.

What about something in the loco that says, “Did you remember to line all your switches?”

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I let locos out onto the mainline from time to time.

You can bet I stand there until they are past then throw the switch back.

That accident could have been prevented, and should have. (Shees, I sound like a company man.)

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Signaling would be no help??? If the line were signaled the signals would indicate to a train to proceed at restricted speed prepared to stop short of any misaligned switch or other problem. Admittedly the wreck would not have happened if everything was done properly, but that’s what safety systems do - provide backup when things go wrong.

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Here is the way I inturpet what happened I am going to put the terms as per GCOR.

1 The crew was told to clear up by th dispatcher.

2 The crew cleared up and forgot to align the switch back to the main as perscribed by GCOR rule 8.3.

3 The crew cleared their track warrant as prescribed by GCOR rule 14.7 and 8.3 the way I am reading in the NTSB report the crew did not have box 20 for permision to leave the switch in the reverse position.

4 The crew tied the train down and went to the terminal tied up went home then here comes another train and runs into the tied down train.

When I worked as a conductor I almost forgot to realigen the main track if the engineer had not reminded me so we are all human.

Rodney

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I also forgot to say above that I have worked in dark territory i.e. track warrant if you follow the track warrant to the letter everything is fine now that I am an engineer I have to know where I am at at all times even in the fog. We in the operating department have a saying that the longest they can work us is 12 hours if I complete to trip fine if not their is someone on the extra boards to relive us not worth getting taken out of service because we forgot to do something.

Rodney

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Rodney

Almost correct. The crew was going on the law so they put the train away there. all members of the crew got in a hurry and left and they even drove by the switch none of the crew looked and even remebered to line the switch back. On ns track warrents we only have 12 boxes( cant remeber if 12 or 13 ) and reason for this is we have a rule that if you use a switch you will line it back. the only exceptions to this is if time table says leave as last used. or if someone else ( opposing train you are meeting) takes responsibility of switch. In some cases the dispatcher has taklen responsibility of switch.

Coborn signals would have saved lifes by having a restricting for the improper aligned switch but i have ran in dark territory also and if everyone does thier job then these things dont happen. as far as something in the loco about did you line the switches back? well its like all the other things in the loco. after being on most engines we dont read anything as its all the same if something is new most people wont notice it.

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i guess i would have to agree with that.

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they picked up cars and or droped off some when they did they had to open gates then close gates they had 3 cars and 1 was blocking the crossing then I guess thats when they forgot to switch the switch back to main line.

kevin