NTSB Issues New Safety Recommendations Restricting Railroad Speeds

January 17th, 2012 |

WASHINGTON, DC – On January 12, 2012, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued new safety recommendations regarding the restriction of railroad train speeds in the light of five train accidents which occurred over about a 4-month period in 2011, two of which involved fatalities.

Fatal train crash where two BNSF railroad workers were killed on April 17, 2011 about 5 miles west of Red Oak, IA. Photo credit: Kyle Wilson / Creston News Advertiser

WATCH VIDEO

The following video describes one of the five train derailments that were considered in the recent NTSB safety recommendations. It was the fifth train accident between April, 2011 and August, 2011 where train speed was a factor.

The NTSB is an independent agency operating under the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for administrative purposes.

Following is a table of the train accidents in 2011 that lead to the new safety recommendations:

Date	City	State	Railroad
April 17, 2011	Red Oak	Iowa	BNSF
May 21, 2011	Low Moor	Virginia	CSX
May 24, 2011	Mineral Springs	North Carolina	CSX
July 6, 2011	DeWitt	New York	CSX
August 19, 2011	DeKalb	Indiana	Norfolk Southern

In each of the five accidents, it was determined that railroad crew members failed to operate their trains at the required restricted speed.

Download the NTSB Recommendation Letter (PDF)

FELA Lawyer News Blog is a FELA, train accident and personal injury blog that publishes up to date train accidents and FELA legal news from across the United States. The Federal Employers ‘Liability Act, (FELA) allows injured railroad workers to recover compensation based on the negligence of the railroad company, in lieu of workers’ compensation. FELA defines negligence as the railroad company’s failure to use reasonable care.