NJ Lawmaker Calls For Criminal Probe of Conrail Derailment in Paulsboro
By David Madden
PAULSBORO, N.J. (CBS) -- A South Jersey legislator is calling for a criminal investigation into the November 2012 derailment of a Conrail freight train that resulted in the evacuation of half the town of Paulsboro for several days.
New Jersey assemblyman John Burzichelli says that in the wake of a National Transportation Safety Board report that placed most of the blame for the chemical leak at Conrail's feet, it's time to see if the accident rises to a criminal level.
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The NTSB probe found, among other things, that Conrail failed to follow the advice of its own engineers to leave the drawbridge shut.
"The question is, why did they make that decision? And to what level, in accordance with state and federal law, did negligence occur? Someone needs to be held accountable for this," Burzichelli says.
He has asked both state and federal prosecutors to begin a separate probe of the accident.
The bridge where the accident occurred is in the process of being replaced.
