Tioga Train Derailment - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Tioga Train Derailment

A Burlington Northern Santa Fe train derailed this morning east of Tioga after hitting a fully loaded gravel truck that was crossing the tracks.

As Shaun Sipma reports, the accident left not only a pile up of railcars and cargo but yet another fatality from a collision between a train and a vehicle.

The scene east of Tioga today was staggering.

Railcars and intermodal containers piled several stories high and stretched for more than a hundred yards.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad officials said the train was heading eastbound this morning and hit a fully loaded gravel truck at the rural crossing four miles east of Tioga causing the massive derailment.

The cab of the gravel truck was ripped from the chassis killing the 62 year old driver, who had an address listed in Parshall, North Dakota.

His name is not being released until the family is notified.

Roughly 30 rail cars, all carrying intermodal containers, were spread out and piled up along the tracks, some had ruptured spilling their contents throughout the wreckage.

The crossing where the accident occurred was on a rural gravel road. It was marked but did not have signal lights or crossing gates.

The derailment has shut down the main BNSF line track through the area.
Officials with the railroad said it will take more than a day and a half to clean up the wreckage and repair the damaged track and won't likely reopen the line until late tomorrow evening.

Law Enforcement did say some hazardous material was being transported by the train but none of it was damaged or ruptured in the derailment.

Near Tioga, Shaun Sipma KX News.

No one on the BNSF train was injured in the accident. The Highway Patrol and Burlington Northern is investigating the derailment.