Train Derailment Gives Neighbors Jolt

It was a sight to see in Harrison County Wednesday, as a train derailed sending 15 cars tumbling and spilling over.

Crews haven’t determined yet what caused the train to derail on the tracks between Jewett and Scio.

NEWS9 talked with crash witnesses who said it was enough to give them a jolt.

"It sounded like a major crash. There was like a vibration to it even," said Kelvin Stull.

That vibration woke Stull Wednesday morning across the street from where the 15 cars tumbled on the railroad tracks.

"I got up, came out of the house and looked all around. I didn't see anything until early this morning, I looked again," said Stull.

The Wheeling & Lake Erie cars were carrying a scrap metal load -- most of which spilled out.

Crews said the crash caused hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage to the cars and to that section of track -- which is now shut down.

"The line is out service until we put the track back in. It'll probably be Friday," said Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad President Bill Callison.

Railroad traffic stopped, but regular road traffic won't be affected—unless you consider all the people who slowly drove by and pulled over to get a peek.

"We were really stunned. We were coming by and we were curious as to what was going on and then we saw the train wrecked," said Alice Dowdle.

Investigators said it may take a while to determine what caused the accident. They said they need to get the cars flipped back over and take time examining the track.

Some neighbors said they're just glad no one was hurt.

"It's a shame it happened, but thank God it happened where it did. It's out here in the country where nobody could have gotten hurt. Sometimes things are a blessing in disguise. It's a shame those emergencies do happen," said Stull.