WASHINGTON — Video shows a BNSF conductor struck and killed by a passing train was walking in the “foul” of the track — the area extending four feet on either side of the rails — prior to being struck, the National Transportation Safety Board says in its preliminary report on the Oct. 19, 2025, incident in Columbus, Mont.
The incident occurred about 9:32 a.m. The conductor was walking along a siding releasing hand brakes on a parked BNSF manifest freight when he was struck by an eastbound grain train. The grain train was traveling about 37 mph when its engineer saw the conductor, sounded his horn, and began emergency braking; the train traveled about 232 feet before striking the conductor.
While on scene, NTSB investigators conducted accident reenactments, reviewed data from locomotive event and image recorders, inspected train equipment and track, conducted interviews, and reviewed BNSF policies and procedures. The preliminary report says the ongoing investigation will focus on communication among railroad employees, crew qualifications and training, and railroad operating rules regarding safety around tracks.
The man killed was later identified as 52-year-old Daniel Peterson of Billings, Mont., who had been with Montana Rail Link since 2013, joining BNSF when it took over MRL [see “NTSB to investigate …,” Trains.com, Oct. 20, 2025].
