By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

MANCHAC – State police collaborated with local law enforcement, federal agents, firefighters and other emergency responders Thursday morning to orchestrate a large-scale mock train crash in Manchac as part of events highlighting rail safety week in Louisiana.

Nicholas Manale, spokesman for State Police Troop L, said the simulation involved a collision between an Amtrak passenger train and an 18-wheel tanker truck and the agencies, more than 42 in all, responded as if the action were real.

“Obviously they understood that the situation was fake, but they did not know any specifics beforehand,” Manale said. “There were some curveballs thrown in and the responders had to react accordingly.”

According to the scenario release, the passenger train en route to New Orleans from Chicago came across the 18-wheeler making a delivery at the Port Manchac fuel dock. The 18-wheeler tried to cross the tracks but stopped before getting across. Meanwhile, a vehicle behind the 18-wheeler tried to go around the stalled truck at the same time the train approached. The train struck the truck, which also hit the other car.

Following the impact, the tractor-trailer overturned and the car burst into flames. The train continued to travel about one-and-a-half miles before the locomotive derailed into Lake Pontchartrain. The first passenger car, which held students from Ponchatoula High School returning home from a class trip, also derailed but stayed upright. Several students were extracted from the passenger car with injuries.

Manale said State Police organized a similar mock crash in DeSoto Parish earlier this week. He said both events were executed with the help of Operation Lifesaver, a nonprofit organization committed to reducing the number of highway-rail grade crossing collisions.

“Last year in the state, 95 people were either injured or killed at highway-railroad intersections or near tracks,” Manale said. “Louisiana consistently ranks in the top five in the nation in railroad crossing collisions. We want to encourage people to think about the consequences when approaching train tracks.”

Morris Evans, a special agent for the Canadian National Railroad, which owns the tracks used in the mock crash, said events of this kind give first responders the opportunity to evaluate their response plans in a controlled setting.

“This is where you have the chance to make a mistake and look back,” Morris said. “We get to see what works and what doesn’t.”

Manale said the entire drill was recorded so agencies could go back and review their methods.

He said it was too early to offer a performance grade but added everything seemed to be executed without a hitch.