FELA Lawyer News Blog

MATTAWAMKEAG, Maine — A Pan Am Railways carrying thousands of gallons of crude oil derailed on Thursday morning, March 7, but luckily less than a cup of oil leaked out of the cars, according to officials.

Thirteen tanker cars of a 96 car Pan Am Railways train carrying 30,000 gallons of crude oil each, derailed in Mattawamkeag, ME while traveling to New Brunswick from North Dakota.

WCSH Portland reports ‘Pan Am Railways’ easily transports millions of gallons of crude oil between North Dakota and New Brunswick each year passing through Maine along the way. According to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, each car had about 30,000 gallons of oil onboard.

Map showing location of Pan Am Railways train derailment in Mattawamkeag, ME along the Penobscot River on March 7, 2013.

Officials said that the Penobscot River, which is just a short walk from the track was never threatened and that they could not find any signs of other spills related to the crash.

“What I did when I made my entry was to use air monitoring equipment to detect petroleum…hydro carbons in the air,” said Andrea Lasselle, who is a hazerdous materials responder with Maine DEP, “so I checked in and all around the rail cars and found no evidence of any leak.”

Cleanup crews began their work Thursday afternoon. Officials said to prevent further mishaps, the oil would be pumped out of the cars first before they are placed back on the track.

The incident remains under investigation at this time.

Source: WCSH Portland

Blog post by Gordon, Elias & Seely, a FELA lawyer and Maine railroad injury lawyer who publishes train accidents and FELA legal news from across the United States.

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