Two train drivers charged after rail accident in Hustopeče, facing up to eight years imprisonment
Přerov criminal investigators have charged two train drivers over last year's accident involving a benzene-carrying train in Hustopeče nad Bečvou. The damage exceeded 400 million crowns.
Charges following train accident in Hustopeče: drivers face eight years imprisonment
Přerov criminal investigators have charged two men in connection with last year's accident involving a freight train carrying toxic benzene in Hustopeče nad Bečvou in the Přerov district. According to Deník.cz, citing Přerov police spokesperson Miluše Zajícová, the accused face up to eight years imprisonment. They are being prosecuted for general endangerment through negligence and environmental endangerment through negligence.
Police did not provide further information about the identities of the accused. According to CTK reports, both train drivers who were in the locomotive cabin at the time of the accident are involved.
Results of twenty-month investigation
The police authority proceeded with charges after twenty months from the accident, based on extensive evidence material. "The police authority proceeded with charges following evaluation of extensive evidence material gathered during the criminal proceedings, which included expert assessments in the fields of rail transport, environmental protection, geology, hydrogeology and other related specialist areas," Zajícová described the investigators' procedure.
The police commissioner also proceeded based on witness statements, technical documentation of the rail train, records of the train's movement and the results of the examination of the incident scene.
Train drivers travelling at more than double the permitted speed
The report by the Rail Inspection Office also identified driver error as the main cause of the accident. They entered the station at 95 kilometres per hour instead of the permitted 40 kilometres per hour. Inspectors found that for the senior driver, this was the first journey with the Vectron locomotive following completion of a practical competency test — which was completed on the day of the accident.
The instructor-driver who was present at the station did not attend to the journey and was working on a laptop, according to his own statement. The accident was also contributed to by routine, according to the report: trains in Hustopeče nad Bečvou typically continued directly on the main line, whereas this time they were meant to proceed on the station line at reduced speed.
Course of the accident and environmental consequences
The accident occurred on 28 February last year. The freight train operated by Ostrava Transport Company – Cargo was then carrying 1,020 tonnes of benzene from the DEZA chemical works in Valašské Meziříčí. After the train entered the points at too high a speed, wagons derailed and became detached from the locomotive. Of the 17 wagons, most were engulfed in fire.
An estimated 250 to 300 tonnes of benzene escaped into the environment. The total damage resulting from the accident has been calculated at least 400 million crowns. Approximately 182 tonnes of benzene have been removed from the contaminated area since remediation work began.
Last week, the second phase of extensive remediation work began at the site, aimed at removing the toxic substance from soil and groundwater. The contract worth 316.6 million crowns was won by Dekonta, with work due to last 17 months.
Ostrava Transport Company – Cargo, which operated the train, filed an insolvency petition in September this year.
Source: Deník.cz