Inspection Detail

Inspection: 125808113 - Delta Transfer Loading

Inspection Information - Office: Sacramento District Office

Investigation Summary

At 12:00 noon on January 22, 2002, Employee #1, a laborer, was fatally injured while working in Rio Linda, California, at a railroad hopper car unloading facility. Following the accident, Emergency Medical Services was called and various agencies responded. Employee #1 was pronounced dead at the scene. The railroad police took control of the scene and investigated. At the time of the accident, Employee #1 was dumping the last of three railroad hopper cars. He was working on a spur line adjacent to the main line of the railroad, with about 10 feet between the rails of the spur line and the main line. Most work is done on the side of cars opposite the main lines. When the accident happened, Employee #1 had taken a sledge hammer and was working next to the main line. The hammer is used to strike the bottom of the hopper car to break up clogs and allow the material to flow out the bottom of the hopper. It is assumed at this point that Employee #1 stepped back from the hopper car and leaned over to watch the flow of material from the bottom of the car. At this time a south bound train traveling at about 50 mph came down the tracks. The engineer, seeing the man next to the tracks, sounded his horn and kept sounding it until after hitting Employee #1. Employee #1 was thrown about 30 feet, along with the sledge hammer. The 4,000-foot long train managed to stop in 2,000 feet.

Keywords: HOPPER CAR, FRACTURE, RAILROAD CAR, STRUCK BY