Two men were killed yesterday in an explosion at a rail yard between Second Street and Hickory Street in Omaha. Initial reports indicate that the two men worked for Nebraska Railcar Cleaning Services and were cleaning the car at the time of the blast.
Yesterday's Omaha rail yard blast may be linked to the car cleaning that was taking place at the time of the blast. Nebraska Railcar Cleaning Services, a company that contracts with GE Capital Rail Services, had three employees working on cleaning the railcar when the explosion happened. According to OSHA, the cleaning contractor has multiple violations in its history – including seven in 2013 alone.
GE Capital Rail Services issued a statement acknowledging that the explosion took place at a repair shop they operate, but that they were not in a position to provide any further details, including what type of chemical was being used on the inside of the railcar that exploded.
The explosion took place around 1:30pm on Tuesday, April 14. When emergency responders arrived at the scene, they found one injured worker outside of the car. They transported him to a local hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival. Emergency crews had to wait until the toxicity around the explosion site waned to a safe limit before retrieving the body of the second man.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the workers killed in this tragic explosion. We are available to take calls regarding this and similar types of accidents to secure justice for grieving families. To learn more, call us today at (888) 387-4134.