NTSB begins hearing on causes of last year’s fiery Ohio freight train wreck in East Palestine

By JOSH FUNK, TOM KRISHER AND PATRICK ORSAGOS
Associated Press

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — Eastern Ohio residents will learn more Tuesday about the fiery Norfolk Southern train wreck that derailed their lives when the National Transportation Safety Board holds another hearing in their hometown about last year’s disaster. The hearing is expected to disclose new findings from the investigation into the February 2023 derailment near the Ohio-Pennsylvania line. The agency also will make recommendations for averting future derailments. The agency has already said it believes the crash was caused by an overheated bearing on a railcar and that officials didn’t need to blow open five tank cars of vinyl chloride and burn the toxic chemical to prevent an explosion. Congress has yet to act on rail safety reforms proposed after the derailment.