News & Community
CSX train derailment terrifies Rosedale
15 of the train's 45 cars derailed
On May 28, a garbage truck driven by retired Baltimore County
firefighter John Alban Jr. failed to stop at a train crossing in
Rosedale and collided with a westbound CSX freight train causing 15 of
the train’s 45 cars to derail.
A few minutes later, chemicals aboard the train ignited and then
combusted producing an explosion that was felt for miles—and buzzed
about on social media, as expletive-filled videos of the blast went
viral. Though the incident resulted in no fatalities, several people,
including the truck driver, were injured and properties as far away as
one mile sustained damage, some of which has not yet been repaired.
Since the accident, CSX has filed a lawsuit against Alban Jr., the
National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation, and
Baltimoreans have largely forgotten about the incident. But for one day
in late spring, Rosedale was quite literally the hottest topic in
Baltimore.