JOURNALISM 202“BREAKING NEWS STORY- FOLLOW-UP”
Sept. 24, 2023
Officials release identities of train derailment victims
STOUGHTON, Wis. — Officials released the names of three individuals who died in a train derailment that caused a chemical spill outside of Madison on Monday night.
Fifty-two-year-old Todd Deerick was pronounced dead late Monday night at Stoughton Hospital. He was the engineer on the train and according to the Dane County Coroner Buddy Weston, died of trauma to the head and chest.
Twenty-six-year-old Trevor Reston was the signalman on the train. He suffered similar trauma as Deerick, consistent with impact in a crash. Reston died at Meriter Hospital in Madison around 2 a.m.
The third victim, 38-year-old Sergeant James Sander, was a Stoughton Police Department officer and the first responder to arrive on the scene. He was found by the Hazardous Materials Teams and appeared to have suffocated as a result of the high concentrations of anhydrous ammonia released from five or more of the derailed train cars.
The train derailed slightly beyond Leslie Road, which is 2 miles outside of Stoughton. Nearby residents were evacuated immediately and have not returned to their homes as the train cars continue to leak ammonia, according to Sheriff Alice Tompkins. “This is a scary situation. Nobody who lives there is coming back until we’re ready. It has to be stopped,” Sheriff Tompkins said.
Sarah Martinez lives a quarter of a mile from the accident. Martinez, her husband and three kids were taken to Stoughton High School and evaded any burning effects of the ammonia. They heard a loud crash around 30 minutes before they were evacuated. “It was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever been through,” Martinez said.
The evacuation perimeter is 1 mile around the scene, and all residences and businesses have evacuated. All area police teams are addressing the scene. The Dane County and Madison HazMat teams are also still at the site.
Terminating the leak is the main priority. Once the leak is in control, the National Transportation Safety Board can begin addressing the cause of the derailment.
The air tests for ammonia inside the Stoughton limits are below 50 ppm.
Also, the quality of the surrounding bodies of water may be disturbed by the leak and the corresponding runoff, yet it’s inconclusive as to what the environmental consequences are at this time. There is a nearby lake, marsh, and two ponds that could be susceptible to ammonia contamination.
There are three additional individuals from the train who are receiving treatment for severe ammonia burns. Eight other workers on the train at the time of the derailment escaped with no injuries from the crash or ammonia leak. The uninjured workers have not yet been interviewed.
The train is operated by TransWest Rail, yet Brewster Chemical Co. made and shipped the ammonia to a distribution center in Portage, Wisconsin. Anita Bier, Brewster Chemical media relations representative arrived in Madison early Tuesday morning as a response to the leak. “We will do everything we can to assist in any way that we can,” Bier said.