Investigators said a railroad company left the car on the track while they delivered two rail cars to a business in Mason. They said when the engine went back to pick up the car that they left, it was gone and rolling out of control.
Authorities said the car was loaded with lumber that eventually spilled as the car came to a stop 8 to 10 miles from where it started rolling.
Investigators said the runaway car struck two vehicles at two separate locations, sending three children and an adult to a local hospital. The first crash happened at the intersection of Tylersville and Reading roads, and the train car hit another vehicle at West Main Street in Mason near Forest Avenue before it jumped the tracks at Hageman’s Crossing near Lebanon.
Authorities said it appears they may have been a brake-setting problem, which caused the train car to get loose. The National Transportation Safety Board will look into the cause of the runaway car.