26 hurt when Amtrak derails along Columbia Gorge route

HOME VALLEY, Wash. — An Amtrak passenger-train locomotive with four cars derailed on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge, injuring 26 people.

One person was airlifted to Legacy Emanuel Hospital and Medical Center in nearby Portland, Ore., said Legacy spokesman Will Morton, but he could not reveal the person's condition. Twenty-four people were treated and released at other hospitals; one person was admitted to a hospital in Hood River, Ore.

The train's four cars remained partially upright, leaning at a 45-degree angle against an embankment alongside the track, after the engine's wheels left the track Sunday morning, Amtrak spokeswoman Marcie Golgoski said.

The accident occurred about 40 miles east of Vancouver with 107 passengers and a crew of eight aboard.

"We heard a big bang, bang, bang, and all hell broke loose," said Darrell Halseth, 66, of Kalama, a passenger on the train. "(The train car) just laid over on its side and slid, so it was a pretty wild ride."

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Co., which owns and operates the track used by Amtrak, rushed equipment and about three dozen workers to the site but did not expect to reopen the line until today, said spokesman Gus Melonas.

Amtrak hoped to resume service on the line by Tuesday, Amtrak spokeswoman Sarah Swain said Sunday night. Buses were being used to take passengers between Portland and Spokane in the meantime, she said.

After the accident, those who could travel were loaded onto school buses and taken to Vancouver, and to Portland, which was the destination of the train that had left Spokane earlier in the day.

Two people were taken across the river to Hood River (Ore.) Memorial Hospital, said spokeswoman Barbara Young. One was treated and released and the other — a pregnant woman in her second trimester with abdominal pains — was admitted for observation.

Ten people were treated and released at Skyline Hospital in White Salmon, said Administrator Mike Madden. Twelve people were treated and released for facial injuries and bruises at Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver. One person was treated and released from Oregon Health and Science University Hospital in Portland.

Medics treated an unknown number of other people for minor injuries at the scene, said Erik Anderson, director of Skamania County Emergency Medical Services.

The National Transportation Safety Board and BNSF were investigating the cause of the accident.

About 115 passengers and crew members were on board when the locomotive and four cars derailed about 9:30 a.m. PDT, an Amtrak statement said.

The derailment occurred on the main Columbia Gorge rail line. About 40 trains use that track daily — two passenger trains, one in each direction, and dozens of freight trains. As of late Sunday night nine freight trains had been rerouted, Melonas said.

The train was the No. 27, an extension of the Empire Builder route from Chicago. The No. 27 takes passengers from Spokane to Portland, while the No. 7 Empire Builder proceeds from Spokane to Seattle.

Traffic was detoured for four hours around the stretch of Washington 14 between Carson and Wind River, to allow ready access by emergency crews, the state Department of Transportation said.