Norfolk Southern, the rail operator responsible for a train derailment and toxic chemical fire in rural Ohio, interfered with the investigation after it botched its responce to the incident. The AP reports that Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, accused the company of repeatedly refusing to provide information and abusing its access to the probe to "gather information" on the case against it.
"Norfolk Southern's abuse of the party process was unprecedented and reprehensible," she said.
Numerous times, Homendy said, the railroad delayed or failed to give investigators information. Twice, Homendy called the railroad at the request of investigators and threatened to issue subpoenas for information, she said.
A railroad contractor told investigators that it did not take or keep records of temperature changes on the tank cars containing vinyl chloride, she said. But the NTSB suspected otherwise. "We found through text messages through one of their employees, who provided that information in later interviews that they did keep those records," Homendy said. "It took about two months before the team received those texts and the emails."
Norfolk Southern even issued what she characterized as a threat.
The exchange ended, she said, with what she said was a threat from the railroad.
"It was delivered that way to use every avenue and opportunity to vigorously defend their decision-making in media and hearings going forward. That is your right. But it is not our role to defend Norfolk Southern. We're here to protect the American people and the traveling public," Homendy said.
Funny how we only gets to hear about the criminal conduct only after the settlements and fines are negotiated.
