Amazing and harrowing story about Morris Bounds who lost his house and almost his life in the CSX oil train wreck that occurred in WV along the Kanawha River on Monday afternoon.
Bounds had been cleaning in anticipation of his wife’s return when, for some reason the shaken man can’t recall, he decided to go into the kitchen. He’s also glad for that, because he had a straight shot out the door when he heard a loud noise, “knew something was wrong” and looked out the window to see CSX tanker cars barreling toward him.
“I had to run out in my sock feet, no belongings whatsoever,” the 68-year-old, who’s now staying at his brother Homer’s house in Ansted, said in a phone interview.
Bounds said he doesn’t know if it was a tank car, as some reports have stated, that smashed his home of 25 years or the large piece of rail that now lies where the house once stood. He said tankers did crash into his garage.
He said most of his yard was engulfed in flames when he ran out but that there was a path through the snow to safety. He said he probably made it 10 feet out the house before it exploded.
“The house was blowing up behind me,” he said. “The walls were coming in.”
Carl Rose said he saw Bounds run out of his home, barely missing the flames and tank cars, which were still derailing as he fled. He said spilled oil formed a horseshoe of fire around the house.
“The cars were still shooting off the track as he was running out his front door,” Rose said.
Here's to hoping that CSX makes it up to this man, but not sure they ever can. Something like would probably take a few years off my life.
Story from the Charleston Gazette