Derailed Car Jams Intersection

One car of a Union Pacific freight train jumped the track while it was passing through downtown Sandpoint Monday.

The accident stalled traffic at the Oak Street and Fifth Avenue intersection for about an hour before the train was moved.

“The one car just got off the track somehow and was dragged awhile,” Police Chief Bill Kice said. The freight car, loaded with pot ash, remained upright after it derailed.

The dragging car damaged the intersection, tearing up some asphalt which was immediately repaired.

The car also ripped up a 200-foot stretch of property along the tracks.

“It wasn’t that big of a deal, but it could have been a lot worse,” Kice said.

The section of UP track, which bisects Sandpoint’s downtown, has been scheduled to be removed and relocated farther north of the city.

City officials have fought to remove the tracks to prevent potential derailments of cars carrying hazardous materials. The relocation would also eliminate about 23 crossings which can stall fire and medical personnel responding to that side of the city.

The relocation project has languished for about 10 years, but UP officials hope to start removing track later this year.

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