| Date: | June 28, 1959 |
| Also Known As: | Freight train derailment & fire |
| Casualties1: | 23 + unborn child |
The Meldrim trestle disaster occurred at Meldrim, Georgia, on June 28, 1959. Involved was a Seaboard Air Line mixed freight train that derailed over the Ogeechee River. Loaded LPG tank cars from the train plunged into the river below and ruptured. The resulting explosion and fire killed 23 people--including entire families and a woman who was eight months pregnant--who were at the river that day as it was a popular area to swim and picnic at.[1] [2]
The derailment was caused by the movement of rails on the trestle due to heat-related expansion, resulting in wheels of one car dropping between the rails.[1]
An ICC investigation faulted the railroad for not installing guard rails along the trestle, which might have helped to keep the derailed equipment on the trestle deck, minimizing the risk of a hazardous materials release.[1]
Killed were the following: