One crewman remains in a Duluth hospital after Thursday's head-on train collision north of Two Harbors, according to a report released Monday by the United Transportation Union.
Scott Schendel of Duluth remained in good condition Monday at St. Mary's Medical Center, said hospital spokeswoman Kim Kaiser.
All five crewmen originally were transported to Lake View Memorial Hospital in Two Harbors after two Canadian National trails collided head-on Thursday afternoon about 13 miles north of Two Harbors. Three of the men were released Friday, said CN spokesman Patrick Waldron, and one was released between then and Monday.
The other men released from hospitals in Two Harbors and Duluth include conductors Kevin Weaver, Michael Anderson and Miles Reimer and engineer Dan Murphy. Anderson, Reimer and Weaver are members of the United Transportation Union, according to the union. Schendel and Murphy belong to the Brotherhood of Local Engineers and Trainmen, said Keith Stauber, general chairman for Division 163 in Proctor.
The News Tribune has learned that the engineer trainee reportedly aboard one of the trains was Weaver. Though he has been a CN conductor for about four years, he was on board as an engineer trainee Thursday, his nephew Kyle Weaver said. Weaver reportedly suffered minor injuries.
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The track reopened to trains Friday, but cleanup continues, Waldron said.
"Crews remain out there removing cars from the scene," he said. "The 13 cars and three locomotives will be scrapped and hauled away in coming days."
Exactly what caused the crash is still under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Railroad Administration, Waldron said.
According to a preliminary report obtained Friday by the News Tribune, the southbound train failed to follow instructions requiring it to wait at a siding and yield to the northbound train.
Stauber called the accident a severe tragedy for the railroad family.
"We're all friends and we're all hurt by this and we're all just hoping for a swift recovery for those who are injured and that something like this will never happen again to our members," he said.
