INDIANAPOLIS -- A 2017 train crash that sent chemicals spilling onto the tracks in downtown Indianapolis was caused by runaway train cars, according to a new report.
The crash happened on Aug. 25, 2017, near the intersection of White River Parkway Drive and Washington Street. At the time, police said a train crashed into a group of rail cars that were sitting on the track.
But that wasn't the case, according to a report obtained from the Federal Railroad Administration. The rail cars rolled away from CSX's rail yard on State Street, 3-and-a-half miles away, and slammed head-on into a locomotive heading through downtown.
The FRA report said a railroad employee failed to properly secure the handbrakes on the cars, resulting in the cars being able to roll free.
The same report also details a similar incident 15 days earlier at CSX's rail yard in Avon. The report says an employee also didn't apply any handbrakes on the rail cars and five cars rolled out of the yard and eventually derailed.
CSX released the following statement:
"Each day when our employees report to work, they are thoroughly job briefed on the duties for the day to assure safe operations across the CSX network. On a regular basis, CSX consistently trains and tests our employees on our operating procedures to assure safety.
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