Meldrim trestle disaster
DateJune 28, 1959
Also known asFreight train derailment & fire
Casualties
23 + unborn child

The Meldrim trestle disaster occurred at Meldrim, Georgia, on June 28, 1959. Involved was a Seaboard Air Line mixed freight train that derailed over the Ogeechee River. Loaded LPG tank cars from the train plunged into the river below and ruptured. The resulting explosion and fire killed 23 people--including entire families and a woman who was eight months pregnant--who were at the river that day as it was a popular area to swim and picnic at.[1][2]

The derailment was caused by the movement of rails on the trestle, as they were compressed by the moving train.[1]

An ICC investigation faulted the railroad for not installing guard rails along the trestle, which might have helped to keep the derailed equipment on the trestle deck, minimizing the risk of a hazardous materials release.[1]

Killed were the following:

  • Jimmy Anderson
  • Elizabeth Dixon Barnes
  • Ted Barnes
  • Julian Beasley
  • Linda Beasley
  • Reba Lamb Beasley
  • Michael Bland
  • Charles Carpenter
  • Billy Dent
  • Joan Dent
  • Frank Dixon
  • Edna Dixon
  • Barbara Hales
  • Claudia Johnson
  • L.B. Lamb
  • Terry Lane
  • Elbie Lane
  • Florence Lane
  • Leslie Lee
  • James Smith
  • Margie Hales Smith
  • Timothy Smith
  • Wayne Smith

References

  1. 1 2 3 "I.C.C. Official Investigation Meldrim Trestle Disaster June 28, 1959". Meldrim.com. Interstate Commerce Commission. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  2. ↑ Komanecky, DeAnn. "June 28, 1959: Meldrim's saddest day". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved 2020-07-22.

32°08′40″N 81°24′12″W / 32.144366°N 81.403369°W / 32.144366; -81.403369


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