CSX Railroad Worker Killed by Train in Doswell, VA

June 11th, 2010 |

DOSWELL, VA – A CSX employee was killed after being struck by a train in Doswell, Virginia on Thursday, June 10, 2010. The victim has been identified as Marshall W. Conner, 54 years old, from Spring Grove, VA. The accident happened shortly after 10:00 a.m. while Connor was working in a rail yard alongside the tracks.

CSX railroad employee killed when he was hit by a train in Doswell, Virginia on June 10, 2010.

Doswell is located in Hanover County, Virginia in the central part of the state about 27 miles north of Richmond, about 126 miles northwest of Virginia Beach, about 11 miles northwest of Norfolk, about 124 miles northwest of Chesapeake, about 99 miles northwest of Newport News, about 96 miles northwest of Hampton, about 184 miles northeast of Roanoke, about 35 miles south of Fredericksburg, about 78 miles southeast of Charlottesville and about 134 miles northeast of Lynchburg.

Location of fatal accident in Doswell, VA where a CSX railroad worker was killed when he was struck by a by a train.

Sheriff’s Captain Michael Trice from the Hanover County Sheriff’s Department said that the incident was reported at 10:19 a.m. on Thursday, June 10 and that an investigation was under way. Trice said that Conner was hit by the train while he was walking in a narrow lane alongside a parked train. He was inspecting the parked train’s brakes at the time of the incident.

Trice said that the 37-car train sounded its horn as it was travelling through the rail yard. The train was moving northbound at the time of the incident. At the time of the incident it was hauling orange juice to Philadelphia.

WATCH VIDEO

Trice also said that he would imagine that most incidents involving trains that people are familiar with involve crossings and not normally among employees.

The engineer of the train said that he saw the man near the track that morning but he didn’t think that anything was suspicious. He told authorities that he stopped the train after he heard a strange noise. He realized that either he struck something or that someone and stopped the train. He recalled seeing the victim on foot just before the accident.

It is not clear exactly what happened because the victim was an experienced railroad worker who was aware of safety procedures when working near trains. Many questions remain.

csx-worker-killed-in-doswell-va-satellite

Satellite view of the railroad yard in Doswell, Virginia where a 54 year-old railroad worker was struck and killed by a moving train.

A resident in the area was interviewed by a local TV news crew who said she was surprised by the incident, remarking that she didn’t let the kids go out unless she was with them.

The accident halted Amtrak passenger train service between Richmond, Virginia and Washington, D.C and passengers were told to expect delays. As a result, some Amtrak passengers had to ride a bus for a part of their trip. Trains that ran between Miami and New York were also routed around the scene of the accident.

Most of the trains ran about an hour or two late due to the fact that trains running in both directions had to be diverted to alternate routes. In one case, on one train passengers were delayed by five hours reaching their destination when they were let off in Fredericksburg and bussed to Richmond.

Federal and state employment safety regulators are investigating to determine exactly how the accident occurred. Details are now limited.

Published by fela lawyer Gordon &amp Elias, LLP