LAFAYETTE, La. – A document filed by Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway company with the Federal Railroad Administration says a broken brake beam on one rail car caused six cars to derail in southern Louisiana in April.
About 138 homes and at least two businesses, including a day care centre, were evacuated after the April 23 derailment in Lafayette.
The Advertiser (http://bit.ly/296VA5B ) reports emergency response officials ordered the evacuations as a precaution because one rail car carrying phosphoric acid had derailed and was leaning to the side.
Phosphoric acid is caustic and can cause medical problems including blurred vision, difficulty swallowing or breathing and gastrointestinal distress. None of the rail cars leaked.
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Information from: The Advertiser, http://www.theadvertiser.com
