CSX Worker Dead After Train Hits His Truck
Last Update: 12/14/2006 10:44:37 PM
Jeez,
Word travels fast. I got the call from my terminal manager about this just after 6:30PM.
Expect movement: at any time; on any track; in any direction.
Nick
Any word on why he had his truck on the tracks?
Did he have time and track?
According to discussions on another board, this may be the third or fourth incident at this yard that is associated with remote control operation.
I guess this is one argument against remotes. I hope CSX is really looking into this to prevent any more such accidents.
Is the problem really with remotes? Or is it with people doing stupid things? If it had been an engineer backing up the train, would the outcome have been any different?
An engineer with a traditional crew would have had someone protecting the movement. Apparently such protection is merely a formality with remotes.
Chris
Local news reports indicate that the truck was perpendicular to the tracks, and had welding equipment on it. The same reports say that the train failed to stop after the collision, rolling the truck over. Extrication was a lengthy process, ending sometime after 10 pm. The incident occured around 5.
Without passing judgment on anyone, two things occur to me - first, a spotter on the lead end of the train might have prevented the collision in the first place, and further would have stopped the movement, even if not in time to prevent the collision, and second, the victim apparently wasn’t paying attention to what was going on around him.
I recently attended a seminar on fireground responsibility - we reviewed a couple of incidents and assigned responsibility for certain factors to different people involved in the call. In both cases the person with the most tick marks was the victim himself.
Why would a CSX employee have stopped his vehicle on the tracks? I can almost understand (well, no, I can’t) why someone not associated with a railroad might neglect common safety rules regarding stopping a vehicle on the tracks, but an employee?
Also, why would the use of a remote have negated the need for a spotter at the lead end of the train?
CSX employee dies as train, truck collide
(The following article by Delen Goldberg and Pam Lundborg was posted on the Syracuse Post-Standard website on December 15.)
MANILUS, N.Y. – One person was killed Thursday when a freight train collided with a truck at a CSX rail yard off Fremont Road in the town of Manlius.
One person was in the vehicle about 5:23 p.m. when it was hit by the train. The identification of the victim was not available late Thursday night but it appears he was a CSX employee, said Manlius Police Capt. Bill Bleyle.
“The train was backing up, the truck was crossing the tracks,” Bleyle said. “The truck and the train collided.”
After the initial impact, the train continued to back up, crushing the truck and trapping the man inside, Bleyle said.
Police were not able to identify the victim late Thursday night because the body was still trapped in the white CSX truck. No one on the train was hurt.
Minoa firefighters began trying to recover the body shortly before 10 p.m. The body was removed from the truck late Thursday night.
The investigation was difficult and slow because the crushed truck had metal-cutting torches inside. Rescue workers were worried that the torches would ignite, Bleyle said. A small fire broke out in the truck’s engine compartment; it was extinguished by Minoa firefighters, he said.
Officer safety was a major concern in the recovery effort, Bleyle said. Before they could enter the railroad yard, workers had to shut down the yards to all trains for about four hours.
The train involved in the crash is a red, metal flatbed train with no box cars or passenger seats. The truck was perpendicular to the tracks. After the crash, the truck was upside down, pinned beneath the train.
Bleyle did not know how many cars were attached to the train.
Firefighters climbed on top of the wreckage to try to separate the truck
I am going to try and explain, but without all the facts, location of the RCL operator, the truck, and what the movement was, shove, drag, switching or simply swinging a track, this is purely my opinion.
When I am switching, until we get down to the last 10 cars or so, my engineer and I don’t see each other.
He and the locomotive are on the far end, shoving, I am on the point, either giving instructions and protecting our shove, or pulling pins and kicking cars.
A RCL operator has no eyes on his locomotive, so when he backs up, he is doing so blind.
Unless he wants to walk back to the locomotive, drag out or back up while riding the locomotive, then walking back to where the works is being done, he has no choice but to hope no one is in the way.
I have an engineer back there; he has a remote controlled locomotive.
Most of the tracks where remotes operate have some signage warning that unmanned locomotives are in use, but the signs are often smaller than a road side speed limit sign.
Now, why the truck was on the tracks, and if the truck operator had proper protection, track and time, or simply had spoken to the RCL guy on the radio will make a lot of difference.
Last, RCL accidents are often not reported, because they often do not exceed the FRA dollar damage threshold.
So you really have no way of knowing how many incidents really have happened, and the carriers want remotes badly enough to under report those accidents that do meet the FRA requirements.
Why was the truck hit?
The employee in the tuck may have spoken to the RCL operator, who may not have understood him, or may have missed his guess on how many cars he could drag out and still stay clear, or he may not have know the truck was there, (which is my guess) and, with no engineer watching where they were going…
In my opinion, remotes belong in industrial service where manned locomotiv
Take a step back here people…there is no proof that fact the job was RCO was a contibuting factor to the accident. I’ve seen this same thing happen with manned engines.
For every accident I’ve seen involving an RCO crew…I’ve the same accident at least twice involving an manned crew.
Everyone here seems to be assuming the RCO crew cut some corners. Until the investigation is completed (the results of which no-one outside CSX will probably have access to), don’t assume anything.
According to the rules…once an RCO Zone is activated no point protection is needed. The RCO has absolute right to that zone. No one may enter said zone without the RCO Foreman’s premission. No one, not the yardmaster, not the trainmaster, not the dispatcher has the right or authority to authorize anyone (T&E, Mechanical Forces, or Track Department) to enter an active RCO Zone. Entering a active RCO zone without the RCO Foreman’s permission is the same a passing a Stop Signal or entering Work Limits without permission - 30 days or more on the street.
Was the RCO Zone active? Was the Crew in the Zone? Did the Carman have premission to be where he was?
Nick
Not only does remote control not only cost jobs, but lives as well.
Like its said before … unless you know you will be gettin close to an onstruction … point protection isnt required in the majority of Beltpack zones. Coming from someone who uses them day in and out … they are not dangerous at all … but better for the switch crew.
To answer my own question about why a CSX employee would have been in a position to get hit by a train -
First, there is some indication that the employee was not parked at the crossing, but was driving through it. Second, it was nighttime and dark. Third, the train was empty flatcars.
With poor visibility due to darkness, the employee may have looked both directions looking for a train, and did not see what he was looking for - a train that could have been identified by the obstruction of background lights. As the train was low profile, no background lights would have been obstructed. He may have even been able to see the locomotive a significant ways down the track and knew that he had time to clear the crossing before the locomotive could even get close to the crossing.
On an unrelated note, what provisions are made for the family in this type of employee death?
BLE comment on the incident:
Last Monday night, an ICE train was shoving near Spencer Iowa. An Iowa State patrol cruiser collided with the train. The trooper had multiple injuries and was air lifted to Sioux City. The crossing is in rural area and is not protected by gates or lights. He was returning from routine traffic control.
Even the most skilled drivers can fail to notice a cut of cars in the dark.The article was printed in the Des Moines paper on Tuesday.