Abstract: A crew of 13 men were unloading rails on a several mile stretch of track along the Mississippi River. The tracks on several curves were to be replaced. A work train was used to haul the rails and work crews. The crew started around 6:30 a.m. on August 6, 1993. Around 4:00 p.m., the section foreman noticed that Employee #1 was not standing on the catwalk on the third rail car from him. The work train started pushing west. The train was stopped and a search was made for Employee #1; the crew looked under and on top of the entire train, which consisted of 30 cars. There was no sign of the employee. The crew continued unloading rails. Around 6:30 p.m., a massive search was started. About 1/3 mile south of Milepost 317, Employee #1's hard hat, gloves, and handkerchief were found on the shoreline. The section foreman and a coworker saw Employee #1 floating in the backwaters. The coroner felt that the employee suffered a seizure and fell into the water and drowned. Employee #1 had a history of seizures; a medical alert tag on his body indicated that he was allergic to some medications. There were no witnesses to the drowning.