Stories

One person was killed and three others injured when a freight train collided with an oil tanker truck carrying 189 barrels of crude oil, sparking an explosion and fire that knocked the train from the tracks near downtown Nowata.

The accident happened at about 5:40 p.m. on Thanksgiving Eve at the intersection of the Missouri-Pacific railroad and U.S. Highway 60 just east of downtown Nowata.

A fire raged for nearly two hours before firefighters from at least three towns were able to bring it under control. The highway remained blocked for several hours.

The train was carrying 123 cars, many which contained liquefied petroleum gas. Luckily firefighters kept the fire from spreading to those cars and none of them were involved in the fire.

Emmett Vann of Caney, Kansas, who was the driver of the truck, died in the collision. Three people on the train suffered injuries, including brakeman Sam Bush, who suffered a broken left foot.