Yard worker crushed in coupling operations at CSX yard

A yard worker at a CSX railyard in New York was killed Sunday evening when he was crushed in between two cars during coupling operations. The victim's father, a fellow CSX employee, noted that this kind of railroad accident is one of the worst fears of railroaders.

The exact cause of the accident is under investigation by authorities (and CSX, no doubt), and one the key issues that will have to be determined is why and how this young man came to be in that position, as the  Safety Appliance Act requires railroads to have operable automatic couplers on all railcars.  When the railroad fails in this duty, they cannot place blame on the deceased railroader for the accident which caused his death.

This will be a crucial issue in anysubsequent FELA wrongful death lawsuit.  Any family in this situation would do well to hire an experienced FELA lawyer to represent their interests in any investigation into this unfortunate accident.