Railway Suspects Crime in Derailment

Tillie Fong of the Rocky Mountain News reports that the train derailment in Westminster is now considered a crime.

After writing a first, second, and third story about the derailment, I now defer to the Rocky. Here is the key new information:

Officials believe that the tree trunk was deliberately placed on the tracks two hours before the train derailed, about 8:30 p.m. A resident had called Westminster police, warning about the stump in the tracks in the 9000 block of Pierce St.

"An officer removed the tree stump," said Heather Wood, spokeswoman for Westminster police. "He moved it to the side of the railroad track and rolled it off the embankment. We didn't get any calls that the stump was back up."

However, at 10:36 p.m. Monday, a local shipping train, carrying lumber, paper, malt and sugar, ran into the same tree stump that was back on the tracks in the same area.

What's interesting about this is that the Westminster Police (or at least some officers) knew immediately that the derailment was a crime, yet they did not release this information until Tuesday afternoon or evening. (I posted my interview with Steve Forsberg at about 2:00 p.m., just after talking with him, and Fong's story that quotes Forsberg about the crime is marked 10:33 p.m.) Perhaps the delay was caused by slow processing of information, or perhaps police thought that the perpetrator(s) would be more likely to reveal themselves without a pronounced criminal investigation. The delay of information might also have delayed public involvement in finding the perpetrator(s).

Did the Westminster Police contact the railway police? I wonder whether somebody was patrolling the tracks in the area, especially before the next scheduled train.

Fong also reveals a couple of interesting details: the injured brakeman "was released Tuesday," and crews are working to "replace 702 feet of track."

Fong adds, "Anyone with information about the tree stump or who placed it on the tracks should contact Burlington Northern Santa Fe police at 1-800-832-5452. Tipsters can also call CrimeStoppers at 720-913-STOP."

I sent Forsberg a few follow-up questions, the answers to which I'll post when I get them:

1. Did Westminster Police contact railway police about the stump when it was first removed from the tracks, prior to the 10:36 p.m. collision?

2. Was anyone patrolling the tracks in that area prior to the train derailment?

3. Do you have the estimates for the amount of fuel leaked or the cost of damages at this time?

4. We discussed this issue a little, but I'd like to know how many times per year trains carrying hazardous materials of different sorts travel the track on which the derailment occurred.

12:37 p.m. Update, June 11

I tried to post the above post late June 10, but Blogger was having problems. Following is Steve Forsberg's reply to my questions:

"You should put the first two questions to the Westminster PD as I don't have any information on that. I do know our people have praised Police efforts to support BNSF.

"Spilled fuel estimates have been lowered to 200-300 gallons and 100 gallons of lube oil. I don't know how many haz mat shipments move on that route. It would be a low number as there are only 6 or 7 trains a day that use that track."

Also, the Rocky Mountain News now reports that "Burlington Northern Santa Fe repaired and reopened the track at the site of Monday night’s derailment by 10 this morning..."

Derailed Train: BNSF Railway Addresses Injury, Fuel Leak

"The cause [of the June 9 train derailment in Westminster] obviously was the tree stump that was on the track. How the stump came to be on the track is still a matter of investigation," said Steve Forsberg of BNSF Railway in a telephone interview. (BNSF is formerly the Burlington Northern Santa Fe.)

Read the first and second story about the derailment.

Forsberg said that BNSF's police officers will continue to work with the Westminster Police Department to investigate the derailment. BNSF hires "dozens and dozens of police officers" from public departments to work their system, Forsberg said, noting that the officers have the same powers as those on public forces.

Forsberg said the officers, who report to Denver, have the option of working with state and federal agencies if necessary. "At this point in time, the investigation is being handled by the Westminster Police and the BNSF Railway police."

Forsberg wasn't sure how fast the train was traveling when it struck the obstruction. "It would have been slowing. The train crew was trying to bring the train to a stop," but the train "did make impact with the stump," Forsberg said.

"Fortunately no one was fatally injured," he said, though a brakeman reported pain in his neck and back and was treated and examined. Forsberg didn't know whether the brakeman has been released from treatment.

The train held "several thousand gallons" of fuel and had just been refueled. Forsberg offered no firm estimate of how much fuel leaked, saying that the amount would be calculated based on how much was removed from the tanks.

"Where the fuel did leak, there was a dyke created to prevent it from migrating any further," Forsberg said, adding that BNSF contracted with an environmental cleanup company to handle leaked fuel.

Cost of damages is "something that's still being assessed... we're reluctant to put out a number that is not firm," Forsberg said.

The train was hauling items such as paper, lumber, and malt, Forsberg said, adding that it carried nothing hazardous.

Does the route ever handle hazardous material? Forsberg said there are "not that many trains that use that route," and few trains carry anything potentially hazardous. He said that most items classified as hazardous are items such as perfume and cologne, cleaning products, batteries, lighter fluid, and paint. He said that only three-tenths of one percent of train cargo is "highly volatile material" such as chlorine or ammonia; thus, it is very unlikely that any given train could possibly release dangerous chemicals.

"Railroads are actually the safest mode of transportation for hazardous material," Forsberg said, noting that trucks have higher accident rates. Moreover, federal "must carry" regulations require train companies to haul hazardous materials, Forsberg said.

Forsberg anticipated that the area would be cleaned up and the track repaired within 36 hours of the derailment, meaning sometime on June 11. "We'll see how work progresses today," he said.

"In the meantime, we're rerouting trains towards Sterling Colorado, and then coming into Denver from the northeast," he said.

Train Derailment Update

by Ari Armstrong, 11:40 a.m., June 10, 2008
All photographs and audio files may be reproduced with attribution to FreeColorado.com. High-resolution photos and audio files are linked below.

It remains "too early to determine" whether accident or crime caused the late June 9 train derailment in Westminster, said Investigator Trevor Materasso of the Westminster Police Department around 11:00 a.m. "We haven't made any arrests," and the investigation remains "very preliminary," he said.

Materasso said that sixteen of the total 37 train cars derailed, in addition to four locomotives.

He said, "Burlington Northern is taking over the lead in the investigation... We're asking people to recognize that this is a crime scene... We want to ensure that evidence and things aren't tampered with so that the investigation can continue without any problems."

One of the two northbound lanes of Wadsworth Parkway is expected to remain closed south of Independence (the 96th block) "at least through rush hour" and "possibly indefinitely," Materasso said; "Burlington Northern is still bringing in a lot of equipment."

Morning Interview with Investigator Trevor Materasso


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Personal Note

As I was the first journalist on the scene and (so far as I know) the first to publish the story, perhaps some readers will be interested to learn how this political analyst picked up a story about a derailed train. The short answer is that I live across the street, and I had the time and equipment to cover the story.

I didn't hear anything because I live in a complex on the far side of the wreck. My neighbor alerted me just after 10:30 p.m. that a train had derailed. It took me a moment to figure out what he was saying; I responded merely, "What?!"

My neighbor was understandably concerned about possible hazardous materials on the train; fortunately, there were none. We walked down Wadsworth to get this news. I briefly considered the residents I'd need to help evacuate if there had been any need; thankfully there wasn't. (I don't know about the restrictions of hazardous materials through residential areas on trains, but I assume there are some.)

I tried to imagine what might have caused the derailment; there are no crossing tracks in the area, so a collision between crossing trains was impossible. I figured that either the rail or engine had failed.

I had grabbed my camera, and I asked my wife to follow with a tripod and my audio recorder. We snapped a few pictures as police taped off the area. I totally understand why the police asked onlookers to clear the area. We respected the police boundaries, yet I asserted my right to cover the story.

One officer told me that a spokesperson would be available at a make-shift command center in a parking lot south of the derailment. My wife and I walked there, where we saw an ambulance treating two people. (We learned that only one went to the hospital for minor injuries, thankfully.) The police officers were professional and courteous. One officer told me that a spokesperson would actually go to the north of the accident, so we walked back across the street, up the road, and back over.

As we walked to the area designated for the spokesperson, an officer on a motorcycle asked us to leave the area, and I noted I was headed for the spokesperson. "You're in a crime area," the officer said. That got my attention; it hadn't occurred to me that the derailment might have been intentional. We soon learned that the cause of the derailment was a tree stump or branch on the tracks, which is indeed suspicious, because I don't think railroads tend to leave large trees overhanging their tracks.

I believe 7News was the second media outlet to arrive (after me). Soon camera operators from four stations mulled about. I learned that they usually get such tips from police scanners, rather than from people calling in. As Materasso prepared to give his interview for the cameras, three of the operators asked me to hold their mikes, as I was already holding up my recorder.



I was thankful that nobody was badly hurt but pained to see the physical destruction. It's quite a wreck. And, if somebody placed the impediment intentionally, it's a large crime that destroyed a great deal of property and endangered people's lives. Given that the wreck happened near my house, I was keen to report it. I'm grateful to the Westminster Police for accommodating the media, including me. I feel I lived up to my journalistic responsibilities.

Westminster Train Derailment Under Criminal Investigation

by Ari Armstrong, 3:00 a.m., June 10, 2008
All photographs and audio files may be reproduced with attribution to FreeColorado.com. High-resolution photos and audio files are linked below. Read the morning update.

A "tree stump or some type of large tree branch" caused a Burlington Northern train to derail late June 9 in Westminster, leading to a criminal investigation, Investigator Trevor Materasso of the Westminster Police Department said. Investigators did not know whether the train, headed north near 92nd and Wadsworth, derailed by accident or crime.

Three people were aboard the train, and one was transported for minor injuries, Materasso said. The train, which derailed at about 10:36 p.m., carried "all non-hazardous material." While some residents in the area were contacted, none was evacuated. As of midnight, Westminster firemen were "working on plugging" a "very small leak" in a diesel tank on the front engine. The derailment involved 37 cars and four locomotives, Materasso said.

A man living across Wadsworth said, "I heard like thunder. I heard the train engine, the whistle, and then not a minute later I heard all this big grinding and thunder noise. I looked out my window and saw sparks coming from the train from the lead engine, and then it just stopped."

Materasso said it's "unknown how long the tracks are going to be shut down." The rail appeared to be twisted off of the bed near several derailed cars. Materasso urged drivers to avoid that section of Wadsworth if possible during the cleanup. [All the derailed cars are south of the light at Independence, the 96th block, and Wadsworth Parkway.]

Anyone with relevant information can call the Westminster Police Department at (303) 430 - 2400 x5, Materasso said.

Shortly after midnight, police handcuffed at least one of three men on the train track just north of the wrecked engine. Materasso said that field interviews of people in the area are standard.

Photographs and Linked Files

Interview with Witness

Interview with Investigator Trevor Materasso

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Second Video


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Thanks to my wife Jennifer, who took all of the photographs except for the first one.