Event
- Event ID
- 409
- Quality
- Description
- A semi-trailer truck carrying compressed hydrogen cylinders skidded and overturned at a railway underpass due to excessive speed, blocking both lanes.
The cylinders were empty, with still a pressure of 20 bar. The load was inspected by chemical experts, who performed a controlled release reducing the pressure to 1 bar. The recovery of the vehicle and its cargo followed. The recovery operations continued from morning until the afternoon.
The accident also caused disruptions to rail traffic. For safety reasons, the local train service was suspended. Rail passengers had to endure delays of up to half an hour, by using a bus service replacement.
Police estimate the property damage at approximately 100,000 Swiss francs. - Event Initiating system
- Classification of the physical effects
- No Hydrogen Release
- Nature of the consequences
- Macro-region
- Europe
- Country
- Switzerland
- Date
- Main component involved?
- Lh2 Tanker
- How was it involved?
- Manual Venting
- Initiating cause
- Impact, Rollover, Crash
- Root causes
- Root CAUSE analysis
- INITIATING CAUSE was a traffic accident. In absence of information on drivers and driver behaviours, the ROOT CAUSE can be attributed generically to a human error (excessive speed of the driver).
Facility
- Application
- Hydrogen Transport And Distribution
- Sub-application
- CGH2 cylinders truck
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- Hydrogen Transport (No additional details provided)
- All components affected
- roll over
- Location type
- Open
- Operational condition
- Pre-event occurrences
- The CGH2 cylinders were almost empty
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of injured persons
- 0
- Number of fatalities
- 0
- Currency
- Swiss Franc
- Property loss (onsite)
- 100000
Event Nature
- Release type
- gas
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 100%
- Release duration
- unknown
- Actual pressure (MPa)
- 2
- Design pressure (MPa)
- 20
- Presumed ignition source
- No release
References
- Reference & weblink
20min.ch online news of 16 July 2004. <br />
https://www.20min.ch/story/mit-gasflaschen-beladener-lastwagen-umgekipp… />
(accessed 02 February 2005, in August 2025 not available anymore)
JRC assessment
- Sources categories
- News