WASHINGTON — A Norfolk Southern conductor killed in a February 2019 accident in Baltimore was riding on the side of a car in a close-clearance area — contrary to rules prohibiting such an action — when he was pinned between his train and a car on an adjacent track, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report.
The accident Feb. 19, 2019, at about 7 a.m., at NS’ Bayview Yard occurred at a location where the distance between the train the conductor was riding on and cars on an adjacent track decreased to just 9 inches.
While the conductor’s action led to his death, the NTSB also found information regarding close-clearance areas in the governing timetable’s terminal instructions was inconsistent and lacked clear messaging, and that the NS training program did not emphasize and test on close-clearance restrictions in the Baltimore terminal. The NTSB recommended revising the terminal instructions and the training program to address these issues.
I’m going to go out on a limb and guess he was one of our employees who had the “expedited training” that has gotten so many newer maimed or killed. RIP you poor soul.
The FRA has known for months that NS training program is insufficient and they have done nothing to change it or punish NS for telling them that their legal dept would get back to the FRA. That was of course after the lie they told the FRA that the unions and employees were fully on board with the training.
Crickets from the FRA.