WASHINGTON – The New York City subway employee killed in an accident earlier this month was part of a group of flaggers preparing to establish protection for on-track work, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report released today (Sept. 30).
The Sept. 3 incident occurred at 11:36 p.m. on the D Line in the Bronx, near the 161st Street Station. The operator of a southbound New York City Transit subway train was informed by an advance flagger that the employees were setting up protection. The train then proceeded south on track C1, reaching 28 mph, before the operator saw workers on the track and put the train into emergency. All flaggers in the train’s path reached a safe location between track C1 and C3/4, except one worker who was positioned near the bench wall next to track C1 and did not reach a safe location. That worker was struck by the train and pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The investigation is ongoing. Parties involved include the Federal Transportation Administration, New York State Department of Transportation, New York State Public Transportation Safety Board, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and Transportation Workers Union.
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