WALBRIDGE, Ohio — A railroad worker is dead after an incident Sunday morning in a Walbridge railyard.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol says 56-year-old Frederick M. Anderson of Waterville was struck by a CSX train that was traveling south on an active rail track near Latcha Rd. and Cummings Rd. in Lake Township.
The incident happened around 3:41 a.m. in Walbridge, according to OSHP. Earlier information received by the National Transportation Safety Board indicated that the worker may have been pinned between two rail cars at the railyard and died from their injuries.
Anderson died at the scene.
The NTSB said they were sending two investigators to the scene.
On Sunday afternoon, the Transportation Communications Union, of which Anderson was a member, released a statement on his death in which they discuss Anderson’s work as a carman for the railroad.
“Our understanding is that this fatality was involving a remote-control locomotive. If so, this would mark the third Carman fatality involving remote-control locomotives. Railroading is a dangerous environment, and there’s long been a culture of watching out for each other. But when headcounts have been cut to the bone, who’s left to watch your back?”
“Enough is enough. A full-scale review of the use and practices around remote-control locomotives is long overdue. CSX – and every railroad – must evaluate their use of these supposed technological advancements to ensure they are actually making our members safer, and not merely replacing people to continue lining the pockets of Wall Street.”
The union says they are assisting CSX and authorities with the investigation.
"BRC [Brotherhood of Railway Carmen Division} members show up for work every day, work safely and expect to be able to return home to their families at the end of the day. This tracic loss reminds us that we must continue the fight to ensure that worker safety is a top priority. Myself and the entire BRC offer our deepest condolences to the family of Brother Anderson," said BRC General President Don Grissom.
This is a developing story. Stay with WTOL 11 on air, online and on our free WTOL 11 News app for the latest information as we receive it.
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