WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report on the fatality of an Ohio Central Railroad signal maintainer, found deceased by the crew of a Wheeling & Lake Erie freight train on Jan. 15 operating on the Columbus & Ohio River Railroad adjacent to the New Rumley Road grade crossing near Jewett, Ohio.
The train of five locomotives and 31 cars was en route from Brewster, Ohio, to Hopedale, Ohio, at about 5:30 a.m. when the train’s engineer saw the maintainer lying motionless between the rails of the main track. The engineer initiated a full braking application and overran the individual but did not strike him; the conductor found the maintainer under the train’s fifth and sixth cars.
The maintainer’s last known communication was determined to have been at 4:19 p.m. the previous day, when he was dispatched to troubleshoot a malfunctioning crossing at New Rumley Road. He was discovered by the first train to pass through that location since that communication. The NTSB indicated its ongoing investigation will focus on Genesee & Wyoming dispatching procedures, safety practices, and drug and alcohol programs for maintenance employees. The Columbus & Ohio River is part of Genesee & Wyoming’s Ohio Central system.
