WASHINGTON — A CSX carman struck and killed by a pair of remote-control locomotives in a September 2023 accident at Walbridge Yard in Ohio failed to look both ways while crossing multiple tracks in the yard, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded in an investigation report issued on Tuesday, Oct. 29.
Contributing to the Sept. 17, 2023, accident, which occurred at 3:24 a.m., was the failure of the carman to conduct a thorough job briefing as required by CSX operating rules.
The carman, who had more than 18 years of experience, was crossing the tracks to line and lock a switch prior to railcar inspections. The locomotives were operating as a yard job controlled by an operator riding on a ladder on the trailing locomotive. Surveillance video shows the carman’s headlamp walking toward the switch, but not shining in any other direction, including toward the locomotive, as he started crossing yard tracks. The locomotives, moving at 10 mph, were approximately 32 feet away as he began to cross.
In response to the accident, CSX issued a safety alert and held safety meetings about emphasize the importance of briefings, situational awareness, and knowledge of emergency action plans. It is also working with its vendor to modify the software on its remote-control locomotives to increase how frequently the locomotive bell rings. Before the accident, the bell rang for 5 seconds at the start of every moment; with the modified software, it will also ring for 5 seconds for every 250 feet traveled.
