Assignment Six

Main Story

A chlorine gas leak, caused by a train accident, has left six people dead, nine people injured and 90 evacuated from their homes.

The gas leak began when a tank car on a Union Pacific train was damaged. The cracked car allowed the chlorine, which is transported as a liquid, to leak out as a gas.

The accident occurred in South Morgan Hill near the Railroad Avenue and Tennant Avenue intersection. The wind, blowing from the South East, dispersed the gas into the surrounding area.

Teri Jenkins, 18, died at O'Connor Hospital in San Jose where she and her family were evacuated after exposure to the chlorine gas. The rest of his family, John, Glynis and Timmy remain in critical condition at O'Connor Hospital.

The body of a middle aged woman along with four unidentified bodies have also been removed from houses near the chlorine gas leak site.

Union Pacific employee Dwight Dougherty, who first phoned in information of the accident, was taken to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose. He is not expected to survive.

“Usually Chlorine gas victims respond well to treatment. This looks like a much more toxic substance” said the supervising nurse.

90 other residents in the area have been evacuated to motels by Union Pacific

“There is no need to worry,” said Pat Pritchard, Union Pacific spokesperson. He claimed to not know exactly when the accident took place and that the gas spill would be cleaned up in a matter of hours.

The gas leak was first reported to the Santa Clara County Sheriff, Laurie Smith , at 6:20 a.m. Saturday, by Pritchard. Smith said that while the Morgan Hill Police Department is responsible for the area where the accident occurred, the affected homes lie outside the city limits inside the county.

Smith said at least 12 of her deputies are now combing the neighborhood house-to-house, wearing gas masks. She also said that the Red Cross and the local fire department are on the scene.

Sidebar

Chlorine, an element that is used to disinfect drinking water and swimming pools, can be deadly when humans are exposed to its pure form.

Chlorine gas was the culprit in the deaths of six people after a train car carrying the substance was damaged in Morgan Hill.

Chlorine is a member of the halogen group of elements, the most unstable group on the periodic table. It was used as a chemical weapon in World War I and has been used in the Iraq war by insurgents.

Chlorine is a helpful disinfectant in the form of hypochlorous acid but a few deep breaths of Chlorine in its pure, gaseous form can irritate and damage the respiratory system, causing injury and death.