The Derailment: A Fatal Accident and the Weight of Responsibility (with Lynne LaBonte)

In the middle of the night, a 72‑car, mile‑long oil train began rolling unattended down a gentle grade and reached over 60 mph before failing to negotiate a curve designed for 10 mph. Containers ruptured, oil ignited, and a chain of mechanical, procedural and organizational failures produced an enormous fire that devastated the small town of Lac‑Mégantic, Quebec and killed 47 people. This episode tells the story—from the parked train, the running lead locomotive and seven handbrakes, to a midnight engine fire, the loss of air brakes, and the catastrophic derailment—and traces how small decisions and misfortune added up to disaster. Lynne LaBonté, GM of transportation at the time of the accident--and a greatly admired leader by those who know her best--joins Doug Crandall and Traci Fisher to explore the Crucible experience she still thinks about "every day."