Anatomy of a tragedy: Timeline of events at Lac-Mégantic
SHERBROOKE Three men were found not guilty Friday in connection with the Lac-Mégantic train disaster in July 2013. Here is a timeline of key moments related to the derailment:
JULY 6, 2013: An unattended train with five locomotives and more than 70 tank cars carrying crude oil rolls down an incline before coming off the tracks in Lac-Mégantic. The derailment causes a series of explosions that sends fireballs up into the air. The downtown core is eviscerated, with a bustling bar, the library, and a cherished park among the dozens of structures destroyed. Officials evacuate nearby homes and say at least one person has died.
JULY 7, 2013: Prime Minister Stephen Harper visits Lac-Mégantic, describing the area as a war zone and offering federal relief to rebuild the town. Police officially raise the death toll to five while estimating at least 40 people are still unaccounted for. Train operator Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway issues a statement saying the locomotive was shut down after the departure of the engineer and this may have resulted in the release of air brakes on the locomotive.
JULY 8, 2013: The Federal Transportation Safety Board and Quebec provincial police announce they will separately investigate the derailment. Firefighters from nearby Nantes say they had been called to fight a fire on board the train hours before it came off the tracks in Lac-Mégantic. The rail company suggests the decision to shut off the locomotive to put out the fire might have disabled the brakes, but the fire chief says shutting the engine off was standard procedure dictated by the railway. Officials raise the death toll to 13, while the Queen issues a statement expressing condolences.
JULY 9, 2013: Quebec police announce they are treating the derailment site as a crime scene and float the possibility of laying criminal negligence charges. About 1,200 residents are allowed to return home.
JULY 10, 2013: Montreal, Maine and Atlantic chairman Edward Burkhardt visits Lac-Mégantic, where he is greeted by angry hecklers blaming him and his company for the disaster. He says the engineer in charge of the train has been suspended. Police raise the official death toll to 20, adding they expect a total of close to 50 victims. Quebec Premier Pauline Marois announces the province will lower all flags to half-mast for a week and says the government will offer the town $60 million in aid.
JULY 11, 2013: Marois makes an official visit to the town as her municipal counterpart lashes out at rail officials. Lac-Mégantic Mayor Colette Roy-Laroche criticizes Burkhardt, alleging he cancelled a planned meeting with her during his visit to the town. About 600 evacuated residents are allowed to return home.
JULY 12, 2013: The TSB describes the Lac-Mégantic disaster as potentially the worst in Canadian history, adding it will take months to investigate. Residents hold a candlelight vigil in town.
JULY 19, 2013: The TSB takes the unusual step of recommending two immediate changes to rail safety despite the fact its investigation is not over. The board recommends that dangerous goods should not be left unattended on a main track and also that rail equipment be properly secured. Rock legend Paul McCartney reaches out to Lac-Mégantic residents by offering free tickets to an upcoming show in Quebec City.
JULY 22, 2013: The federal government matches provincial aid efforts by announcing a $60-million fund to help Lac-Mégantic rebuild. In the United States, a wrongful-death lawsuit is filed in an Illinois court against MMA and its parent company, Burkhardt and several U.S. petroleum companies linked to the disaster. An Illinois lawyer, who filed the court documents on behalf of the family of a Lac-Mégantic man killed by the derailment, says he expects to present many more similar suits that could seek millions in damages from the defendants.
JULY 23, 2013: Transport Canada issues new safety directives that take effect immediately. The new rules state at least two crew members must work trains that carry dangerous goods. In addition, no locomotive attached to one or more loaded tank cars transporting dangerous materials can be left unattended on a main track.
JULY 25, 2013: Police begin conducting an investigation at an MMA office in Farnham, but decline to discuss details.
JULY 27, 2013: Lac-Mégantic holds a memorial ceremony for the 47 victims of the disaster.
SEPT. 11, 2013: The TSB says the crude oil that exploded into flames in the train derailment was as volatile as gasoline, but was documented as a less-dangerous product akin to diesel or bunker crude.
NOV. 21, 2013: Ottawa and Quebec announce they will split the estimated $190-million price tag to decontaminate Lac-Mégantic. DEC. 13, 2013: Transport Canada says it has obtained a warrant to search the offices of Irving Oil in Saint John, N.B., in connection with the tragedy.
DEC. 18, 2013: Rail service resumes in Lac-Mégantic under stricter safety conditions. On the same day, a U.S. judge gives the green light for the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway to be auctioned off.
JAN. 21, 2014: Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway is sold in a closed-door auction for US$14.25 million. The purchaser is later revealed to be Railroad Acquisition Holdings, an affiliate of New Yorkbased Fortress Investment Group.
JAN. 23, 2014: The TSB says Ottawa needs to take urgent action to pull outdated and unsafe rail cars from Canada’s tracks, as well as reassess the safety of all potential routes used to transport dangerous goods.
FEB. 13, 2014: Survivors of the rail disaster announce they’re expanding their class action lawsuit to include the federal government. The suit alleges Ottawa neglected to sanction the rail company after the disaster and continued to do business with them despite a dubious safety record.
APRIL 23, 2014: The federal government pledges to pull all old tank cars, known as DOT-111s, off Canada’s rails over the next few years. The promise involves removing up to 5,000 of the cars from the tracks within a month.
MAY 12, 2014: Prosecutors in Quebec lay 47 charges of criminal negligence causing death against the rail company and three of its employees. Driver Thomas Harding, traffic controller Richard Labrie and manager of train operations Jean Demaître are all charged.
AUG. 19, 2014: The TSB releases its final report, saying MMA had a weak safety culture and that Transport Canada did not audit the company often or thoroughly enough.
OCT. 2, 2017: The trial for Harding, Labrie and Demaître begins.
JAN. 11, 2018: Jurors begin deliberating.
JAN. 19, 2018: The three men are acquitted of all charges on the ninth day of jury deliberations.