# PHMSA Hazmat Incident I-2003120392 — SODIUM HYDROXIDE, SOLUTION — LAKE CHARLES, LA

**Citation:** PHMSA Hazmat Incident I-2003120392  
**Type / status:** incident / historical  
**Agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration  
**Effective:** 2003-09-14  
**Published:** Not stated

Serious reporter-submitted hazardous materials transportation incident on 2003-09-14 in LAKE CHARLES, LA.

## Document text

PHMSA hazardous materials incident report I-2003120392.
Incident date: 2003-09-14.
Location: LAKE CHARLES, LA.
Mode: Rail.
Carrier/reporter: UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD CO.
Shipper: BAYER CORPORATION.
Materials: UN1824; SODIUM HYDROXIDE, SOLUTION; hazard class 8; 400 LGA released.
Reported failure causes: Derailment; Vehicular Crash or Accident Damage.
Reported result: Spillage.
Reporter-submitted DOT Form 5800.1 data may be incomplete, corrected, supplemented, or misreported. A record, serious-incident classification, failure description, or relationship to a reporting rule is not a PHMSA causal finding, compliance determination, or finding of a violation.

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://portalpublic.phmsa.dot.gov/analytics/saw.dll?Portal?PortalPath=/shared/Public%20Website%20Pages/_portal/Hazmat%20Incident%20Report%20Search>
- Source ID: `phmsa-hazmat-incidents`
- SHA-256: `05c95973115a803d8b1505e8ec3bba7afb3f0167ec01d48cb45dac30a41c4548`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-13T12:55:56.545Z
- Exported: 2026-08-24T15:10:45.488Z
- Document slug: `phmsa-hazmat-incident-i-2003120392`

### Source metadata

```json
{
  "materialSubtype": "phmsa_hazmat_serious_incident",
  "reportNumber": "I-2003120392",
  "operatorReported": true,
  "serious": true,
  "finalAgencyFinding": false,
  "eventDescriptionExcluded": true,
  "publicPdfUrl": null,
  "rowCount": 1,
  "carrierReporterNames": [
    "UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD CO"
  ],
  "shipperNames": [
    "BAYER CORPORATION"
  ],
  "routes": [],
  "cities": [
    "LAKE CHARLES"
  ],
  "states": [
    "LA"
  ],
  "originCities": [
    "BAYTOWN"
  ],
  "modes": [
    "Rail"
  ],
  "materials": [
    {
      "identificationNumber": "UN1824",
      "commodityName": "SODIUM HYDROXIDE, SOLUTION",
      "hazardousClass": "8",
      "quantityReleased": "400",
      "unitOfMeasure": "LGA"
    }
  ],
  "packages": [
    {
      "identificationMarkings": null,
      "outerMaterial": null,
      "outerType": null,
      "outerCapacity": "16630",
      "outerCapacityUnit": "LGA",
      "outerShipmentCount": "1",
      "outerFailedCount": "1",
      "innerMaterial": null,
      "innerType": null,
      "innerCapacity": "0",
      "innerCapacityUnit": null,
      "innerShipmentCount": "0",
      "innerFailedCount": "0"
    }
  ],
  "reportingRuleContext": [
    "171.15",
    "171.16"
  ],
  "caveat": "Reporter-submitted DOT Form 5800.1 data may be incomplete, corrected, supplemented, or misreported. A record, serious-incident classification, failure description, or relationship to a reporting rule is not a PHMSA causal finding, compliance determination, or finding of a violation.",
  "privacyCaveat": "The public CSV excludes preparer contact fields. Event Description is intentionally excluded from normalized records and search output to reduce incidental personal-information risk.",
  "jurisdiction": "US"
}
```