Man Charged With Causing Kansas Train Derailment
A man was charged Friday with causing a train derailment and fire that led to the evacuation of more than 100 people from their homes in a rural area south of Wichita.
Prosecutors said the man parked a backhoe from a construction site on the tracks sometime between 11 p.m. Wednesday and the derailment just before midnight.
Ricky W. Alcorn, 28, of Wichita, was charged with one federal count of willfully derailing and wrecking a train. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison without parole, Justice Department officials said.
Bill Seck, an FBI supervisory agent in Wichita, said Alcorn was taken into custody about a quarter-mile north of the derailment.
The train’s cargo included white asbestos, sodium hydroxide and compressed nitrogen. Authorities determined that no hazardous materials escaped into the air, and residents were allowed back into their homes Thursday evening.
The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway train was going from Chicago to Los Angeles. The FBI said damage to the rails and railroad equipment is estimated at up to $3 million.
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