Table EIR 5. Hazardous waste incident, Crestview train derailment, Okaloosa 

 County (Teaf 1980) . 



Personal damage: Fourteen persons injured by inhalation of toxic fumes 

 from a damaged chlorine tank car. Two of these were hospitalized after 

 being overcome by chlorine fumes at ground level which were disturbed by 

 helicopter rotor downwash during a helicopter surveillance overflight by 

 investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and 

 the U .S . Senate . 



Environmental damage: Trees and groundcover were defoliated by the ammonia 

 cloud for approximately 650 ft NW . of the derailment site. There was 

 extensive fire damage within a 150-ft radius of the burning cars. Dead fish 

 were observed in the immediate area of the leaking phenol car. Subsequent 

 biological assessment of the area indicated significant damage to aquatic 

 life in the Yellow River extending for 900 yd downstream from the derail- 

 ment site . 



Economic damage: Damaged or destroyed equipment was valued at $813,000, 

 damaged track or structures were estimated at $258,000, lost or contami- 

 nated product was valued at $187,000. Total damages were approximately 

 $1,258,000. Total costs to various agencies in response and sampling 

 efforts were not available. Costs were not assigned to damaged wildlife. 



Cause of problem: Derailment of 29 cars of a 119-car freight train owned 

 by Louisville and Nashville (L&N) Railroad. Of the derailed cars, 26 were 

 placarded hazardous materials tank cars. 



Type and quantity of hazardous waste: Twenty-six derailed cars containing 

 hazardous materials included 17 containing anhydrous ammonia, 3 containing 

 acetone, 4 containing methyl alcohol, 1 containing chloride and 1 con- 

 taining carbolic acid. 



Date of incident: 8 April 1979. 



Location: L&N Railroad bridge at Yellow River, 5 mi W. of Crestview, FL . 



Remedial action: By 6 April all cars had been derailed, destroyed, or had 

 cargo transferred to other holding facilities. With the exception of 

 materials destroyed by fire, only the chloride car was disposed of on-site. 

 Its contents were drained into a lined pit where the material was mixed 

 with caustic soda to neutralize the chlorine. 



L&N Railroad was ordered to pay the Florida Department of Environmental 

 Regulation (DER) costs ($4,403.44) and a fine ($20,000) in connection with 

 the derailment. A check for the total amount was received by DER on 28 

 November 1979 . 



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