3 Workers hit by train?

Question

I dont understand how 3 track workers get hit by train and one killed. Are they deaf or blind or something? Please..make me understand

Answer 1

Track workers are supposed to have safety procedures in place so this kind of thing doesn't happen: look-outs equipped with horns & 2-way radio, flagmen, high-vis clothing, etc.

Also if they are working on the track the section should be locked out, i.e. points and signals set so no train can work that section, also drivers of trains passing that section on adjacent tracks are warned to slow down, sound their horns, keep lookout, etc.

The most dangerous time is at the start and end of shift when workers are moving into place or knocking off, and may have to cross multiple tracks on foot, or when maintenance vehicles are being moved into and out of the section being worked on.

When an accident happens it is usually because the normal safety drill has broken down due to human error. Of course we won't know the full story until the results of the enquiry are published.

Answer 2

I heard that today and I just don't know--but it looked as if they were in a fenced in area and may not have been able to get away from the side of the train as it went by.  Ironically today we had a bus that is TALL hit a LOW parking garage entrance----no one knows why--but I think the driver was tired and forgot that the bus was that tall.

Answer 3

In the NYCTA system we utilize  a number of safety measures including Lights or flags that are placed two positions before the work gang, we use a tripper and flagman 50 feet before the gang. In my 15 years experience 80% of the men killed on the tracks had over 10 years experience thus leads me to believe that they feel as if they know the job and do not have to be cautious.

Answer 4

A similar thing when I was working on a different railroad., except in the case I am referring to the entire track crew was killed.

They might have been using extremely noisy equipment.

Obviously the train should not have been on the section of track while the crew was working on it, they have separate authority so this is the first serious breakdown in safety. Perhaps an oversight on dispatecher, or some sort of breakdown in the track authority system.

Second if the crew was using noisy power equipment they were likely to be using hearing protection, which would be required.

If the train crew had no notification or warning the track crew was out there, they would have no indication anyone was near until they actually saw the track crew which might not be very long, especially in territory with a lot of curves and cuts.

Trains traveling downhill or slowing down are surprisingly quiet.

A horrible tragedy for all involved.

Safety on railroads is always our first priority, despite the very best intentions . . . . . . . . . we have not been able to stop this from happening.

Answer 5

It happens.

All should bear in mind, that workers around the railroad can and do get killed, even with all the knowledge they have and all the safety rules in place, not to mention many years of experience, in many cases.

The point being, if it can happen to one who is trained to be wary of train operations, as a member of the public at large, any private citizen is ill equipped to survive when along railroad right of way.

And, most folks who meet an ignominious end on the rails can both see and hear perfectly well.  Most are used to seeing locomotives pulling cars around.  The truth is, the shove 'em around too.  So, don't count on hearing a locomotive approaching or hearing any equipment sneaking up behind you.  That locomotive may be a mile away from you...

A safety question always gets a star from me.  Here's yours.

Answer 6

It might be that no lookout was posted to warn of oncoming trains. If they were using jackhammers or grinding equipment they may not hear approaching trains, hence the need for the lookout.

Answer 7

Unfortunately, these things happen on occassion. I am an Engineer and have had a few close calls with people on the ground. It is hard to understand the three men who were struck in the news you provided. But remember, the news usually only gives you half the real story. What I mean by this is, when we hear something like this, in our minds we imagine a train on a long tangent of straight track approaching with horn blasting and clear visibility. How could an accident like this happen? But often there's more to these stories than what is reported.  I'm going to throw out a few examples here and guess, because I sure don't know the facts. Maybe this was in a switching yard with multiple tracks, and a train was slowly backing up. Or, maybe it was double track with a train already in passing, and the men couldn't hear a second train on their track. Or, possibly these men had a dispatcher's permission to be on that track with written authority, and some how a train without proper authority was also on the track. I've witnessed such things happen in my past. But like I said, they resulted in close calls.

Obviously, visibility was a factor, I'd say. And remember, the media calls everything a train. It could have been one or more cars that started rolling on their own too.

I don't know if I really helped you too much here. But I wanted to explain about news reporting. Understanding the media and how it sees things sometimes encourages us to keep an open mind and realize many situations are more complex than the overly simplistic reporting given.

Answer 8

I was a track foreman, working around trains for years, you turn them out when busy working on yard tracks. Also unless they blow the horn you do not hear them with the equipment noise.