NTSB investigating CSX employee fatality in Maryland
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a CSX conductor fatality that occurred Aug. 6 in Cumberland, Maryland, the agency announced yesterday.
The 40-year-old employee died at a nearby hospital after suffering injuries when he became entangled in equipment, the Cumberland Times-News reported. The man was working near a train when the accident occurred.
“CSX confirms that an employee was fatally injured in the course of working … in Cumberland,” CSX officials said in a statement released Monday morning, the newspaper reported. “CSX mourns the loss of this employee and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones. The safety of our railroaders is our highest priority. CSX is working with officials to determine exactly what happened.”
Local police said no foul play was involved, according to the news report.
The Aug. 6 incident is the second fatal accident involving a CSX employee in recent weeks. On June 26, a CSX conductor trainee died after falling from a rail car during a shoving movement at the Seagirt Marine Terminal at the Port of Baltimore. After falling, the trainee was struck and killed by a train, according to the NTSB’s preliminary report of the incident.
On July 31, CSX and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers–Transportation Division (SMART-TD) announced a plan to extend CSX’s conductor training program to five weeks from four to provide new hires with more hands-on experience before they begin on-the-job training.