{"id":21080,"date":"2013-07-23T09:57:08","date_gmt":"2013-07-23T13:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/utu.org\/?p=21080"},"modified":"2013-07-23T09:57:08","modified_gmt":"2013-07-23T13:57:08","slug":"train-disaster-a-dark-turn-for-rail-veteran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/train-disaster-a-dark-turn-for-rail-veteran\/","title":{"rendered":"Train disaster a dark turn for rail veteran","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"
A blinding flash of orange light jarred Weyauwega residents awake before dawn on March 4, 1996. An 81-car freight train had been barrelling toward the farm town in central Wisconsin when it jumped a broken rail. The train\u2019s propane and petroleum cargo had caught fire and exploded.<\/p>\n
Gerald Poltrock II, a rookie local police officer, thought it was a prank when the dispatcher called to say the city \u201cblew up.\u201d<\/p>\n