Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300306073 - Initial Security Service

Inspection Information - Office: Wilmington Area Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 was a security guard at the west gate of a plant. When a train pushed cars across the highway separating the furnace building and rolling mill, Employee #1's job was to put a flare in the southbound lane of the road and then to wear a reflective vest and stand at the side of the road until the train had crossed. At the time of the accident, a train was crossing the road with three flatcars in front of the engine. The train's engineer said that he stopped the engine when he saw the front car veer off the track and strike a sign. The conductor, who at night puts a flare on the front of the lead car so that it is easily visible, went to investigate and saw two legs sticking out from under the car. Employee #1 had been struck by the train and killed instantly; presumably his body had caused the front car to derail. Neither the conductor nor the engineer reported seeing Employee #1 at any time during the crossing. The engineer said he saw a flare on the southbound side of the road; the conductor said that there was no flare in that lane.

Keywords: FLATBED RAIL CAR, RAILROAD CAR, RAILROAD TRACK, SECURITY GUARD, RUN OVER, TRAIN, RAILROAD