I do not see how leaking would preclude recovery. Perhaps recovery wasn't economically feasible. And from the manifest linked elsewhere in the thread, all but one vinyl chloride cars are listed as "car did not leak".

> the fact that you perceive a "breakdown in trust" of those engineers doesn't make them wrong

No, what makes them wrong (as in, not doing everything they can to minimize harm) is the orders/incentives coming down from management. Boss says to do the cheapest option possible, they look at the top-line combustion products and regulations regarding releasing them, and sign off on the cheaper burn plan. We get the same thing in software with the zeitgeist of working for surveillance companies. It's a massive ethical violation, but everyone's gotta eat, and if you rock the boat it costs you personally.

> If you want them to be wrong you need to provide evidence yourself

I'm not responsible for releasing chemicals into residential areas, nor for lighting them on fire. It's incumbent upon the railway and responders to prove that their actions were justified and correct in minimizing the damage to bystanders.