NKyTribune staff
A train derailment in Florence Wednesday afternoon sent four railway cars careening across Empire Drive and came to rest in the middle of Bluegrass Drive.
Photos courtesy of the Boone County Sheriff’s office (click to enlarge).
The incident caused the road to be shut down, but there were no injuries. Motorists are being rerouted to Dixie Highway (U.S. 25) until the scene is cleared and the Kentucky State Highway Road Department can verify the integrity of the road.
The Boone County Sheriff’s office released the following statement regarding the incident:
On Wednesday, November 15, 2017 at 2:55 p.m. Boone County Sheriff Deputies were dispatched to the intersection of Empire Drive (KY 3503) and Bluegrass Drive in Florence, Kentucky, for a train derailment accident.
Upon arrival Deputies located four (4) Norfolk Southern railway cars had derailed from the railroad tracks running adjacent to Bluegrass Drive. The railway cars had reached the end of the track at which point they derailed, crossed Empire Drive, continued into an earth embankment, and stopped in the middle of Bluegrass Drive.
No injuries were reported at the scene and the railcars were not loaded. Florence Fire Department, Boone County Emergency Management, and Norfolk Southern Police Department are on scene handling the recovery. Norfolk Southern railroad personnel are currently investigating as to the causation of the derailment. The Kentucky State Highway Road Department has also been notified and will be responding to verify the integrity of the roadway.
Empire Drive is and will be blocked to through traffic for several hours due to the recovery efforts. Motorists are encouraged to utilize Dixie Highway (U.S. 25) as an alternate route.
