Criminal Negligence Charges Laid in Lac-Megantic Rail Disaster

Criminal negligence charges are being laid against Montreal, Maine & Atlantic (MMA) Railway and 3 of its employees in relation to the July 6, 2013 runaway oil train derailment, explosion and fire that killed 47 people, leveled much of downtown Lac-Megantic and spilled 5.5 to 6.5 million litres of crude oil (Edmonton Journal).

The rail company and Thomas Harding, the lone engineer in charge of the train; Jean DeMaitre, MMA’s manager of train operations; and Richard Labrie, MMA’s railway traffic controller, each face 47 counts of criminal negligence causing death. If convicted, the maximum sentence for a person is life in prison, and there is also a possibility of fines. For the railway company, if convicted, there are no minimum or maximum fines – it’s all up to the judge. The police investigation is ongoing and it is possible additional charges could be laid.

The Lac-Megantic rail disaster was one of the worst in Canadian history, and one of the largest environmental disasters in North American history.

See this link for more information on the Lac-Megantic derailment disaster, and see this link for more information on the hazards of shipping oil and other dangerous goods by rail.

~ by railroaded on May 13, 2014.