Authorities claim that straight-line winds caused the Stuttgart train to derrail

Stuttgart, Arkansas – The damage that one train and strong winds can inflict on a Friday night startled the towns of Ulm and Stuttgart.

“I’ve never seen this, I’ve lived here all my life and never seen a derailment,” Vera Doepell said.

Winds of up to 63 mph were recorded at Stuttgart Airport during Friday night’s storms. The disaster was caused by straight-line winds, according to officials at the scene.

After picking up food for their barbecue and the holiday weekend, Doepell and her husband were on their way home when their son called to report the derailment.

They discovered they would need to take an alternate route home as they arrived on the site a little while later.

“Are you aware that there’s a car across the highway,” Doepell said as she called 911.

At the Arkansas, Prairie, and Monrow county boundaries, a train car blocked Highway 79.

The mishap included multiple train cars, but no injuries were reported.

“When it derailed, it broke apart, the train came out on the highway,” Jerry Lee, Ulm Fire Department Chief, said.

Not quite 24 hours later, First Responders and specialist workers are making great headway in cleaning up the catastrophe.

“It’s a small community. We all kind of come together at times like this,” Lee said.