Train derails near Sandpoint; no injuries

SANDPOINT - A train derailment near Sandpoint's northern city limits prompted an emergency response but no lasting damage early Thursday morning.

According to Union Pacific western region spokesperson Aaron Hunt, one of the company's freight trains was down for the count several hours after four cars derailed around 4:30 a.m. The Bonner County Sheriff's Department responded to the scene of the accident near the Litehouse warehouse and Baldy Mountain Road.

However, the accident inflicted no serious damage on anything other than the train crew's schedule. No one was injured in the incident, and the overturned Union Pacific cars, the surrounding property and the local environment all came through without any substantial harm. By approximately 11:30 a.m., the cars were re-railed without any problems.

"There was really nothing substantial at all in terms of damage," Hunt said.

Perhaps most fortunately, all four cars were empty at the time of the derailment. That prevented what could have been a much larger cleanup and possibly environmental protection measures.

The cause of the accident still remains unknown, according to Hunt. However, he said Union Pacific officials hope to have all the details of the accident in place soon.

"We have crews out there investigating the issue, so hopefully we'll have a better idea about what happened soon," he said.