Man outruns train derailment: ‘The house was blowing up behind me’ - and other WV links

Morris Bounds almost died Monday when a 109-car CSX train carrying Bakken crude oil derailed in Mount Carbon, Fayette County, and crashed into his house. - See more at: http://www.charlestondailymail.com/article/20150219/DM01/150219159/1276#sthash.ZT2MbuEw.dpuf

Morris Bounds almost died Monday when a 109-car CSX train carrying Bakken crude oil derailed in Mount Carbon, Fayette County, and crashed into his house

Man outruns train derailment: ‘The house was blowing up behind me’

By Ryan Quinn, Staff writer   WV Gazette   02/18/15

BOOMER — It’s rare a man can say he’s glad his wife is in the hospital, but it’s also not every day a train destroys his home.

Morris Bounds said his wife was supposed to come home over the weekend, but she stayed hospitalized Monday after her open-heart surgery involving four major bypasses. He’s also thankful that 15 loved ones, including grandsons, had left his Adena Village home in Fayette County the day before.

Bounds had been cleaning in anticipation of his wife’s return when, for some reason the shaken man can’t recall, he decided to go into the kitchen. He’s also glad for that, because he had a straight shot out the door when he heard a loud noise, “knew something was wrong” and looked out the window to see CSX tanker cars barreling toward him.

“I had to run out in my sock feet, no belongings whatsoever,” the 68-year-old, who’s now staying at his brother Homer’s house in Ansted, said in a phone interview.

If he were in any other room, Bounds believes, he would’ve died.

“I’ve got a bad back and bad knees and, sometimes, I can’t even walk,” Bounds said, “but the good Lord gave me strength.”

Many details about the train derailment, which occurred at edge of the Kanawha River on Monday afternoon, remain unclear, including the cause of the incident and how long it might take to clean up the area. CSX spokeswoman Melanie Cost said 27 tank cars, each carrying a possible 30,000 gallons of Bakken Shale crude oil, went off the tracks. The other cars in the more than 109-car train have been moved away. ….    More here

Media explosion over West Virginia oil train explosion

Benicia Independent  February 19, 2015      Roger Straw

 

BI Editor: I have never seen an upsurge in media coverage like this.  There may be a national consensus forming that oil trains are disasters in waiting.  There are simply too many stories “out there” to post them all.  Here is a summary of many of the best NEW stories (as of late 2/19/15) from media outlets across the country.  ALL are important and worthy of your attention.  – RS

see Roger's compilation here

Man outruns train derailment: ‘The house was blowing up behind me’

By Ryan Quinn, Staff writer

- See more at: http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20150218/GZ01/150219255#sthash.EXOksh7P.dpuf