Five empty Norfolk Southern train cars derail in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Pittsburgh police said a Norfolk Southern train derailed by the Brunot Island Trail Saturday morning. 

It marked the railroad's fourth derailment and the fifth incident in a little more than two months, which included the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, that released toxic chemicals into the environment.

For six years, Kam Sellers has heard trains passing by his home. It's crossed his mind that one day, train cars could come off the tracks that are just feet away.

"You see where my house is out, the distance; I think about that a lot," Sellers said.

On Saturday, he felt his house shake and heard what sounded like metal colliding.

"I felt a rumble. It was a little bit more than usual," Sellers said. "I came and looked out. I could see the trains moving slowly, slower than usual, and then I seen maybe a guy walking back like he was inspecting the train."

He didn't think much of it until he left his house to find the roads blocked off by West Carson and Telford. He also received texts to his phone asking if he was okay.

"'The train didn't fall on your house, did it?'" Sellers read from his messages.

Sellers would later learn a train derailed, a train owned by Norfolk Southern, the same railroad running the train that crashed in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3.

Police said it happened sometime between 9:30 and 10 in the morning.

A spokesperson for Norfolk Southern said it involved five empty steel cars that all remained upright.

KDKA cameras captured a lengthy train, which appeared more than one mile long, and included tankers and double-stacked cars. The company would not confirm this information.

Police responded just before 1 p.m. to help with traffic control as railroad crews brought in heavy equipment to remove the cars from the scene.

"It has you on pins and needles a little bit," Sellers said.

The incident left Sellers shaken up, more cognizant of what could happen living so close to the tracks.

"You leave a lot to chance, too, with being here," Sellers said. "You can't run for cover. Where are you going to go?"

He's thankful, knowing this could have had a different outcome, but it also gets him thinking: maybe it's time to move farther away.

"It puts a lot of things in perspective, and I'm going to have to do some soul searching and think about some things," Sellers said.

The last derailment in Pittsburgh happened in 2018 at Station Square, on this same line, and with Norfolk Southern. It dumped piles of toothpaste and food.

The NTSB told KDKA they are not investigating this incident at this time, either individually or as a part of the special investigation into the safety practices of Norfolk Southern.

In:
• Norfolk Southern
• Train Derailment