WREX.com – Rockford’s News Leader911 tapes from Rockford train derailment released

911 tapes from Rockford train derailment released

By Marissa Alter

ROCKFORD (WREX) - The 911 calls from before and after the deadly train derailment in Rockford have been released.

13 News was first to obtain the 911 audio recordings Thursday night.

The calls are from the June 19 crash that killed a Rockford woman. 41-year-old Zoila Tellez died while trying to escape from her car, which was stopped south of the train crossing near Sandy Hollow and Mulford roads.

The first calls give us a look into what police and railroad officials knew just minutes before the derailment of the Canadian National freight train. They received calls about the tracks being washed out and dispatchers immediately contacted the railroad companies.

The calls after the crash are from witnesses as they first heard the explosion and saw the flames. One woman thought it was a plane crash. A man thought a business had exploded. Many people living near the tracks knew right away it was a train derailment.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the derailment and wouldn't authorize the release of the tapes until now. The investigation is still ongoing. No word yet from the NTSB about when findings will be released.

Canadian National Spokesman Patrick Waldron says the company won't comment on the tapes until the investigation is done.

To the left of this story we have cut the audio from the first calls, the calls after the crash and you can also watch the story we ran in the 10:00 p.m. News Thursday night.

Below are some of the transcripts from the calls:

CALLER: "Oh my god. We have to freaking help."

911 OPERATOR: "911, what's your emergency?"

CALLER: "Oh my god! We're on Mulford Rd. going south at the railroad tracks, and it just blew up! A train just blew up! There's fire--you need fire and ambulance right away, right away!."

911 OPERATOR: "Did the train hit something?"

CALLER: "It must've hit a car. I don't know."

911 OPERATOR: "Hit a car?"

CALLER: "So many flames--you have to hurry!"

That was at 8:37 pm, Friday, June 19--the first 911 call after a Canadian National freight train derailed. But police were aware of problems with CN's tracks about 45 minutes before.

7:52 pm--the local emergency services disaster agency calls Winnebago County Sheriff's Police.

ESDA: "I didn't know who to call but Mulford and Sandy Hollow--the railroad track crossing's washed out. There's water going underneath the tracks. There's several feet that don't have anything underneath the tracks."

One minute later, another call

CALLER: "They're washed out underneath of them."

WINNEBAGO COUNTY DISPATCH: "Yeah, we just got that call. I've got to figure out which railroad it is."

CALLER: "It's both of them."

Sgt. Aaron Booker calls Union Pacific first.

UP: "Union Pacific, this is Dennis."

SGT. BOOKER: "Dennis? Hi, it's Winnebago County Sheriff Sgt. Booker in Rockford, Illinois. We had a major storm go through and received a lot of reports of flash flooding and rainwater washing underneath the railroad."

After nearly three minutes on the line, UP's spokesperson says this: "Alright, I'll go ahead and advise them."

8:16 pm--Booker tries Canadian National Railroad.

CN: "Canadian National"

SGT. BOOKER: "Yes sir, this is Sgt. Booker in Rockford, Illinois."

Booker explains the situation. The person on the other line takes his number and promises to call right back.

In the meantime, Booker gets a call from a Winnebago County sergeant who went down to the tracks at Mulford and Sandy Hollow to check things out.

SGT. SWANK: "Just so you know there's two separate sets of tracks down here, and they're both washed out."

SGT. BOOKER: "Right--Union Pacific and Canadian National, and they've both been notified."

SGT. SWANK: "Okay, great. We're all set. There's nothing else for us to do. The road is intact and everything else. Just down off the road, there's probably six or eight feet where the tracks are washed clean."

SGT. BOOKER: "Holy cow!"

SGT. SWANK: "The ties are just hanging there."

SGT. BOOKER: "God!"

10 minutes later, Canadian National calls back.

CN: "Mulford Rd.--is that near Sandy Hollow?"

SGT. BOOKER: "Yes, that's it."

CN: "There's two sets of tracks there, right?"

SGT. BOOKER: "That's correct. Both have been washed out."

CN: "Okay, very good. We're going to be sending someone out."

Five minutes later, several tankers filled with ethanol derail at the Mulford train crossing where cars were stopped on both sides of the tracks. That's when the calls to 911 for help begin.

CALLER : "It's terrible!"

911 OPERATOR: "Okay, listen, stop screaming. Did you see any flames with this explosion?"

CALLER: "Yes! There's massive amounts of flames! It's a big fire!"

911 OPERATOR: "Okay, I'm coming, I'm coming. I'm just making sure. Thank you."