A truck belonging to Reliable Express LLC collided with a train in Tunkhannock yesterday. WNEP ran a photo of the crash on the website, but it was taken down several hours later. However, the photo remained in WNEP archives and can be accessed at: http://localtvwnep.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/wyo-train.jpg 

The photo appears to have been edited (see center area/under flatbed) to obscure the side of one of the white containers. Several hours later the photo was replaced with a video that shows the wreck from a similar angle. A side-by-side comparison of the original photo with a still from the video reveals the visual inconsistency between the two images. WNEP reports that the truck was carrying fencing materials, although no explanation was given as to what was in the containers.

RDA asked Cory, Billings Manager, of Reliable Express LLC in Chippewa Falls, WI what kind of freight their company hauls. "We carry chemicals used to lay pipeline, such as foam," said Cory. When asked to identify the materials in the totes, Cory said, "Foam. That's the container the foam comes in. It's a 2-part foam. There are 2 different liquids and when it comes together it makes a foam. We put that foam around the pipes so that the pipe doesn't rattle or shake. The vibration is what could potentially put a hole through their pipelines. They spray this foam around it and it hardens. It's not the exact same thing as the expandable foam, but it's the same idea."

Cory of Reliable Express LLC said the truck was delivering pipeline materials to Indianhead Pipeline Services. Collaine Peterson of Indianhead Pipeline Services said that Reliable Express LLC was "supposed to be doing a delivery of materials for us for a job we're working on." She said she had no firm knowledge of what was in the totes, but that the supplies were going to a restoration site in Pennsylvania. "They were delivering to some kind of yard. Depending on the job, we do restoration and pipe coding."

We contacted WNEP and asked them what was in the totes. Their newsroom operator said, "I don't know what's in the containers. It wasn't a hazardous spill so what was in the totes wasn't really critical to the story." When asked about the photograph that appears to have been edited, the newsroom operator replied, "It wasn't a photoshopped picture. It was a picture that came from our reporter's phone."

RDA contacted responding officer Corporal Robert Roberts of the Tunkhannock Police to comment on what was in the totes. "If you read the newspaper and watch the media you'll see the truck was carrying fencing supplies. No hazardous material," said Roberts. When asked to account for the appearance of some kind of substance inside the container, Roberts replied, "They were stained from previous use. There was nothing in the totes but the metal parts for the fence." When asked why metal fencing would be put inside a plastic tote instead of bundled and strapped to the flat bed, Roberts suggested we ask the truck company for an explanation. The truck company does not corroborate Roberts' story. 

The facts:

A truck and a train collided in Tunkhannock on Wednesday.

WNEP posted this photo of the event on their web site.

Later in the day, the photo disappeared. (Fortunately, the photo was copied and reposted by a site visitor before it was removed.)

The photo appears to have been edited (see center area/under flatbed) to obscure the face of one of the totes.

The trucking company claims the totes were carrying chemicals used to make a 2-part foam.

WNEP and Tunkhannock Police claim the totes were holding fencing materials. However, the video and image show no visible fencing materials in the totes.

The questions:

Why did the photo disappear from the WNEP site?

Why are we getting two different stories?

What was the truck really hauling?

Why was the photo edited?

Who, if anyone, is hiding the full truth here?