Benji Hahs Obituary

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She was predeceased by : her father Roscoe Matthew; her step-father Cornelius Dannenmueller; and her mother Georgia Dannenmueller (Duncan). She is survived by : her son Dustin Duncan (Justin); her grandson Blake; her significant other Randy Hahs; her significant other’s sons, Jeremy Hahs (Becky) and Benjamin Hahs; her brothers, Rick Duncan (Bonnie), Ernie Duncan (Mary) and Jimmy Duncan (Marilyn); her nieces and nephews, Cara Exler (Andy), Jamie Green (Travis), Rusty Duncan, Lance Duncan (Maria), Tara McClard (Mike), Trevor Duncan (Steffie), Jordan Duncan (Brandi), Adam Duncan (Catherine) and Alex Duncan (Casey); her sister-in-law Debbie Little; and her pet Molly.We recognize you are attempting to access this website from a country belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA) including the EU which enforces the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and therefore access cannot be granted at this time. For any issues, contact [email protected] or call 815-426-2132.

July 24, 2008 – Sacramento, CA – A 40 year old Sacramento Regional Transit District employee died in an accident. Troy Schafer was struck and killed by a light rail train while working on the tracks.February 5, 2018 – Hahira GA – An employee of C&S Rail Services was killed when the truck he was driving was struck by a Norfolk Southern train at the Lawson Street crossing. The employee was identified as Dexter Brown of Barnwell, SC. Many in the community of Hahira worked on a fundraiser to help Brown’s seven children.

February 8, 2011 – Stanley L. Watts, Secretary-Treasurer of BLET Division 354 (Kankakee, Ill.), was killed in the line of duty on February 8, 2011, following a switching accident at a Norfolk Southern yard in Kankakee, Ill. Brother Watts, 43, has been a member of the BLET since February 1, 2006. He was a Norfolk Southern locomotive engineer who was set back working as a conductor at the time of the accident. He is survived by his wife Sara and sons Zachary and Andrew. He was working as part of a conventional switching crew consisting of an engineer, conductor and conductor-in-training, and had gone on duty at 6:00 a.m. Brother Watts was born Jan. 1, 1968, in Chicago. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving from 1986-1990. He coached youth football and was active with his sons’ sports. He enjoyed camping and was an avid Bears fan. He loved spending time with his family.Clinton, Iowa – August 11, 1999 “I&M Rail Link Engineers die as their Union Pacific freight train hits cars left on track”. Engineer Carl Finzel, 60 years old at the time of death, a member of BLE Division 119 in Dubuque, Iowa. Had been a member for 30 years. Conductor Arnold Roth, also a member of BLE Division 119. Had been a member for 2 years.February 9, 1996 – Secaucus, NJ – “Side Collision and Derailment of New Jersey Transit Trains 1254 & 1107”. Engineer, Alfonso S. De Bonis, 47 yrs. old at time of death, employed with New Jersey Transit RR. Promoted to engineer 1/1/91. Member of Division 171. Engineer, John DeCurtis, 59 yrs. old at time of death, employed with the railroad for 40 years. Member of the United Transportation Union.Wilmington, Del. — March 21, 2002 “Local Chairman killed by Amtrak train”. Brother Charles B. “Charlie” Smith, 35, was struck and killed by an Amtrak train as he boarded his Norfolk Southern freight train just north of the Edgemore freight yard near Delaware. It is believed he either fell or was “sucked in” by the wind of the fast moving passenger train. Brother Smith was 22 years old when he first joined the BLE on Aug. 17, 1989. He was Local Chairman of BLE Division 484 (Delmar, Del.) at the time of his death. He is survived by a wife and two children. “He was a very conscientious union representative and a good man,” said Division 484 Secretary-Treasurer Everette M. Masten Jr.Carrizozo, N.M. — February 21, 2004 — Two BLET members killed in collision of two UP trains. Engineer Anthony C. Rodella, 57, and conductor Jeffrey S. Bohler, 32, were killed in the collision of two Union Pacific freight trains in Carrizozo, N.M., on February 21, 2004. Rodella and Bohler were both members of BLET Division 192 in El Paso, Texas. Brother Rodella joined the BLET in 1974 and Brother Bohler became a member in 2003. NTSB Accident Brief

February 4, 2019 – Field BC, Canada – Three Canadian Pacific (CP) employees were killed when their train derailed and plunged off a bridge into icy water. Their 112 car grain train was parked on a steep downgrade with the air brakes applied when it began moving on its own. The victims were 26-year-old trainee, Daniel Waldenberger-Bulmer from Grand Prairie, Conductor Dylan Paradis and Locomotive Engineer Andrew Dockrell. All three brothers were remembered as by-the-book family men.April 24, 2018- Bowie MD – An Amtrak engineering employee was killed when he was struck by Amtrak No. 86. Luke Gsell, 20, was working as a lookout for a track crew when he died. He was a member of BMED Lodge No. 3012.

Kelso, WA – 11/11/93 “Head-on-Collision and Derailment of Burlington Northern Freight with Union Pacific Freight Train”. Engineer of train 09, Mark A. Poler, 41 yrs. old at time of death, employed with Union Pacific RR-Western Lines since December 1980. Promoted to engineer November 1, 1990. Member of Division 892. He was married. Engineer of train 111, Wayne R. Kronberger, 40 yrs. old at time of death, employed with Burlington Northern RR since March 1979. Promoted to engineer July 1980. Member of Division 518. December 6, 2003 – Wellesley, MA – Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad – 59 years-old Bridge and Building Mechanic (Watchman/Lookout) with 15 years of service, acting as Watchman/Lookout for the rest of the MOW gang, was fatally injured when struck by an on-coming freight train. Conrad, B.C. – 3/26/97 “CN Train Hits Washed Out Track and Derails”. Locomotive Engineer Terrance (Terry) Allen Gallis, 39 years old at time of death, employed by Canadian National and a member of Division 855, Kamloops, B.C. Brother Gallis died as a result of his train hitting a track wash out.April 20, 2017 – Woss British Columbia – Three United Steelworkers members were killed in a forestry train derailment on the Englewood Railway which is believed to be the last operating railway in North America. Roland Gaudet and Jacob Galeazzi died at the scene and lement Reti, 62, was airlifted to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries. The train is operated by Western Forest Products, one of the area’s major employers. The Village of Woss – located in the Nimpkish Valley – is a tight-knit community with around 200 residents. The Englewood Railway of Western Forest Products runs through the village. The accident was believed to have happened when a large load of logs rolled away from the reload yard and collided into a backhoe and rail maintenance care where the men were working. Gaudet, a 27-year worker was the step-father to three and a grandfather of two. Galeazzi, 20, was the son of the Woss fire chief. The rail line operation was suspended due to the accident and later in November the line was permanently shut down. According to a WorkSafeBC report, faulty equipment and a long list of mechanical errors caused the 2017 logging train derailment in Woss on Vancouver Island. Canada’s TSB later released their report on the accident.

October 7, 2015 – Eastover, SC – Two R.J. Corman contract workers were killed in South Carolina after the truck in which they were riding went off a washed-out road near Columbia. R.J. Corman has deployed storm teams for Norfolk Southern in North Carolina and South Carolina. The company said about 95 workers and equipment were used to help Norfolk Southern repair rail lines damaged in the flooding. Five men had left a job site about 1:30 a.m. in Eastover, S.C., near Columbia, after repairing track washouts. The men were heading to their motel when their pickup truck plunged onto a blacktop road that had disappeared beneath 10 to 12 feet of water. The truck was washed away. Three of the men were able to get to safety and called for help to find the other two men. The bodies of Robert Bradford Vance, 58, of Lexington, Kentucky, and Ricky Allen McDonald, 53, of Chesapeake, Ohio, were recovered Wednesday afternoon. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said Thursday that initially it was believed the driver of the truck moved the barricades off the road, which had been closed for four days because of a washout. The Sheriff later determined that the victims had not removed the barricades, but that they had been removed by some else.April 11, 2005 – Salt Lake City UT – Anthon Petersen, 38, of UTU Local 1366 was found dead in Riverdale Yard apparently the victim of an accident. Brother Petersen, a Union Pacific switchman, was believed to be riding on a car when he slipped and fell underneath.

February 21, 1996 – Tennessee Pass, CO “Derailment and Chemical Spill of Leadville, CO – SouthernPacific Freight Train”. Engineer, J.M. Roybal, 44 yrs. old at time of death, employed with Denver & Rio Grande Western Railway. Promoted to engineer February 1, 1977. Member of Division 29. Student Engineer, C.W. Reagan, 34 yrs. old at time of death, employed with Denver & Rio Grande Western Railway. Student Engineer since January 1, 1996. Member of Division 29.

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – April 9, 2015 – A CN conductor, later identified as 51 year old Kevin Timmerman from Melville, Sask, died as a result of injuries from an accident while working at a CN rail yard in Saskatoon. He was transported to Royal University Hospital where he later died. His mother, Joan, was quoted as saying, “He was very conscientious about his job.” and that he was looking forward to his retirement once he reached the age of 55. The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) said it is investigating the accident.February 20, 2013 – Carvel, Alberta – USW Local 2004 member Fernando Borges succumbed to his injures in the morning of February 22nd. Preliminary information is that Brother Borges while fulfilling the duties of a Welding Forman was hit by an on-rail pickup truck vehicle that was slowly backing up during a rail replacement program. The incident occurred on Wednesday February 20 2013 approximately 34 miles west of Edmonton near the town of Carvel AB. One of Fernando’s fellow workers said, “Fernando was well liked by everyone he met, always had a smile, and was fun to be around. He was a good man, and will be missed by all his friends”. Brother Borges was 62 years of age employed by CN Rail since 1984 and was a welding foreman since 1986. The investigation into this terrible tragedy is continuing.

October 9, 1995 – Phoenix, AZ – The AMTRAK Sunset Limited derailed on Oct. 9, 1995 after it hit a stretch of track which had been bent away. The train toppled 30 feet from a trestle into a dry gulch, killing a crew member.December 28, 1966 – Everett MA – Boston & Main passenger train No. 563 collided with a tank truck which was stopped across the Second Street railroad-highway grade crossing at Everett, Massachusetts. The collision resulted in the death of 11 of a total of 28 passengers and 2 of the 3 train crew members, and other injuries and damage to property.

August 3, 1973 – Potter NE – Two Union Pacific maintenance employees were killed when they were struck by a UP freight train. They were Kenneth Meerkatz, 28, of Polk and Junior Jay Pinto, 51, of Chinle AZ. They were part of a 12-man crew cleaning an area where new rails had been installed. Meerkatz was a 6 year UP employee and was survived by his wife and four children.January 16 – Chicago IL – AMTRAK machinist, Martin Rivera, was killed in a mechanical accident near the service and inspection building at the AMTRAK Union Station rail yard, near Canal St.

May 10, 2009 – Selkirk, NY – Conductor Jared Boehlke, 33, a member of Local 212, Albany, N.Y., was killed May 10, 2009, in a CSX yard accident in Selkirk, N.Y. He is survived by his wife, Heather, three year-old-daughter, mother, father and ten brothers. Jared was a man of strong faith, an avid knife maker, and was extremely devoted to his family and friends. [Note: Jared’s needless death on Mother’s Day was the impetus for RWU’s beginning our annual “Black Shirt Friday” railroaders memorial campaign each year on Father’s Day.] September 24, 2003 – Fresno, CA – Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation – 35 years-old Yard Foreman with 2 years, 3 months of service was fatally injured when struck by rail equipment when he fell from a freight car during a switching movement.The Federal Railroad Administration will investigate the cause of the accident.Crose and White both worked for the railroad. Thompson was Crose’s girlfriend, said Wanda Shepard,Crose’s cousin. It is also unknown why Thompson was inside the locomotive at the time of the crash asshe did not work for Southwestern Railroad, Shepard said. Both Thompson and Crose had recently moved to the Hurley area just three weeks ago for Crose’s job.”They loved being on the train,” Shepard said of White and her cousin. “They loved it. It was their calling, and they were really proud of their jobs and what they did.” Shepard said Crose had been an engineer for as long as she could remember. He left behind a father in Arizona, a brother in California, an ex-wife and two daughters. “He was a great artist, a wonderful musician. He was very creative, very loving,” Shepard added. “He was just an all around good guy.” Shepard said she was shocked to learn Thompson had also been on the train at the time of the crash. “That was a shock to me. It was news to me she would even be on [the train],” Shepard said. “I don’t think she ever went with him to work.”

October 28, 2013 – Bradner, OH – Three CSX Transportation employees who were working at a crossing were struck by a car, driven by Cory R. Rickard, 26, of Woodville, that went around construction barricades on Bradner Road, just south of the village, the Wood County Sheriff’s Office said. Two CSX employees were treated for injuries and survived. Brother Paul Michael Castle died on November 12, 2013 from the injuries sustained in the accident. Deputes said Mr. Rickard’s southbound car went around two sets of barricades and drove into the construction area, where it struck a utility pole and the workers. His car then crashed into a CSX maintenance truck before driving off the tracks at the east side of the crossing. – – – Mr. Rickard was later tried and convicted by a jury in Wood County Common Pleas Court of murder and two counts each of aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, and felonious assault for the Oct. 28 crash near Bradner that killed Paul Castle, 34, of Paintsville, Ky., and injured Jim Conley, 58, of Findlay, and Luis Knott III, 58, of Banner, Ky. – – – Mr. Rickard’s conviction was overturned by an appeals court on June 10, 2016. – – – Mr. Rickard was re-tried and on February 9 was subsequently found guilty & sentenced a second time.August 26, 2013 – Harpursville, NY – Federal authorities are investigating the death of a bridge inspector who was electrocuted while working on a steel railroad bridge Monday (Aug. 26) in New York. Thomas F. Tarchak, 39, of Simpson, PA, had been with three other workers inspecting a steel railroad bridge over State Route 235 in Harpursville, NY, for Canadian Pacific Railway, officials said. The accident happened at 11:11 a.m. Monday while Tarchak was taking bridge measurements under an elevated train track in a high lift approximately 60 feet in the air when the lift came in contact with New York State Electric & Gas power lines, according to a New York State Police press release and information from a Federal Railroad Administration spokesperson. The electrical power line was carrying 4,800 volts. When emergency responders arrived, the lift truck was still energized and rescuers had to wait for NYSEG to halt power before they could recover Tarchak’s body, according to WBNG-TV. Brother Tarchak was a member of TCU. Niland, Calif. — December 10, 2004 — BLET member killed in collision of two Union Pacific trainsBrother Kenneth Leonard of BLET Division 5 (Los Angeles, Calif.) was killed in a head-on collision between two Union Pacific freight trains on December 10. Brother Leonard joined the BLE on November 1, 1992. He was 44 years old. Four other crew members were taken for medical treatment as a precaution for what were considered minor injuries. Five locomotives and seven rail cars were derailed. November 24, 2016 – Hope, BC Canada – A CN Rail maintenance worker was found dead 50 kilometers north of Hope. Michael Stevenson fell from a rail bridge and co-workers found him in the creek below the bridge.Bakersfield, CA – September 6, 2014 – A railroad track repairman has died after attacking his co-workers. The Kern County coroner said Sunday that Carson Peter-Contesse of Sultan, Wash. died at a hospital of causes that remain unclear. Bakersfield police say Peter-Contesse attacked his co-workers from Railworks Track System on Saturday afternoon as they worked on a section of track on the San Joaquin Valley Railroad line. When police arrived, the co-workers were holding Peter-Contesse on the ground and when he was being cuffed officers realized he wasn’t breathing and rushed him to the hospital. An autopsy will be performed to find the cause of death.

December 27, 2007 – Yorkville, IL – UTU Local 171 member and BNSF conductor Hubert Marshall Aull, 62, of Oswego, Ill., was killed Dec. 27 in a switching accident at Yorkville, Ill.

October 11, 2015 – Oakland CA – A Union Pacific Railroad security contractor was killed in a crash while patrolling an intermodal yard in the 1400 block of Middle Harbor Road. Securitas Security Service employee Harvey Jackson, 67, lost control of his company-issued track and crashed at 6:29 am.Hardin was not an employee of the rail yard, but a contracted security officer. In a statement, CN Railway said: Multiple police agencies continue to investigate the shooting death of a security officer who was tragically killed Saturday evening while on duty at the CN railroad yard in Harvey. The guard worked with a private security firm that assists CN Police. We would like to express our sincere condolences on this tragic loss to the guard’s family, friends and co-workers.Our brothers & sisters continue to be killed on the job and what we see from the railroads are continuous testing harassment and ineffective “blame the worker” safety programs.May 14, 2003 – McBride, British Columbia – BLE member Art P. McKay of BLET Division 843 (Prince George, B.C.) and UTU conductor Ken LeQuesne were killed in the line of duty on May 14, 2003, as a railroad trestle collapsed under their Canadian National freight train. Two locomotives and six cars plunged into a ravine and caught fire. Brother McKay joined the BLE on May 1, 1981. May 17, 2019 – Pueblo CO – A 27-year-old, employee of Rocla Concrete, Joel Montoya, died when he was trapped between two rail cars while yard workers were reportedly moving train cars. Rocla is a supplier of pre-stressed concrete crossties and switch ties for the railroad industry. Montoya was married and the father of two. The unfortunate fatality is being investigated but is considered to be an accident. March 27, 2018 – Sparta WI – A Canadian Pacific conductor was killed in a train accident while working at Cedar Creek Lumber in Sparta. Robert J. Hemling of Randolph WI was a member of SMART TD Local 590 and leaves behind a wife and two daughters.June 20, 2010 – New Orleans LA – Frederick Gibbs, a 52-year-old on-duty CSX conductor, was shot to death June 20 in what New Orleans police say was a botched robbery attempt. The shooter reportedly entered the locomotive cab and began firing. The intermodal train, enroute to New Orleans from Atlanta, was stopped near downtown New Orleans awaiting clearance into a terminal when the crime occurred. Gibbs is survived by his wife, Gwen; mother, Alneda Gibbs; two sons and four grandchildren.

April 29, 2007 – New York, NY – The northbound G train hit the workers in the Hoyt Street-Schermerhorn Street station just after 4 p.m. One of them, Marvin Franklin, 55, of St. Albans, Queens, a transit employee for more than 20 years, was apparently dragged half the length of the station and was found dead under the train. Reached by telephone last night, Mr. Franklin’s family declined to talk about the accident. An authority statement described him as having a wife and son.Bryan, Ohio – January 17, 1999 – “Engineer killed as three Conrail trains collide in heavy fog”. Engineer Roger H. Bell, 56 years old at the time of death, a member of BLE Division 457, Toledo, Ohio. Had been a BLE member for 26 years.

John Laird, 24, of North Augusta, South Carolina, employee of Avondale Mills, Inc. (who also was found in the wooded area around the Woodhead Division of Avondale Mills, Inc.);June 24, 2012 – Goodwell OK – UP – Brother Dan J. Hall, President of BLET Division 592 (Dalhart, Texas), was killed in the line of duty on June 24, 2012. Hall, 56, was one of three railroaders killed when two Union Pacific trains collided head-on near the town of Goodwell, Okla. The others were BLET Member John S. Hall (not related) and UTU member Brian L. Stone. Brother Hall hired out in 1994 and joined the BLET on January 29, 1999. He is survived by his mother and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

November 13, 2019 – New York, NY – Brother Juan J. Diaz (65), of the Pennsylvania Federation’s BMWED Local lodge 3068 in New York City, was struck and killed by a train on Dock Bridge Wed., Nov. 13 at approximately 5:00 p.m. Brother Diaz, a 22 year Amtrak employee, had ended his shift and was leaving railroad property, walking to his car to drive home. An investigation into the circumstances of this tragic incident are ongoing.February 16, 2013 – Cleveland OH – A spokesperson for Cleveland’s ArcelorMittal Steel confirmed that an employee died in an accident at the steel plant on Saturday evening. According to the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s office, the victim has been identified as Randolph Vayda, 50, of Elyria. The man reportedly fell off of a railroad car and into the path of an oncoming train where he sustained fatal injuries. A company spokesperson issued the following statement on Sunday: “We are saddened to confirm that there was a fatality at ArcelorMittal Cleveland on Saturday afternoon. The incident, which occurred on the facility’s railroad, remains under investigation by the company and United Steelworkers. Appropriate agencies have also been notified. The ArcelorMittal family extends our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the deceased. The health and safety of our employees remains the number one priority for ArcelorMittal.” ArcelorMittal supplies steel products in all major markets including automotive, construction, household appliances and packaging. The company operates in 60 countries and employs about 245,000 people worldwide.March 16, 2014 – Montreal Quebec – Mr. Jarrod Ward, Conductor, was fatally injured in an accident at Taschereau Yard in Montreal on March 16. Mr. Ward was 34 and had been with CN for just over a year. The accident happened Sunday night around 9 p.m. at the Taschereau Yards on Hickmore St. in St-Laurent. According to Montreal Constable Jean-Pierre Brabant, the male employee was on a moving train that was backing up when one of the cars derailed. He was somehow caught between two cars.September 1, 2010 – Minneapolis, MN- Andrew Kim Weaver, 53, a veteran employee of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, was killed September 1, 2010 in the northern Twin Cities suburb of Coon Rapids. Authorities said the man stepped off a test train and walked onto a nearby track, where he was hit by a Northstar commuter train that he apparently did not see. At the time, authorities said that was because he was talking on his cell phone. It’s a story that been repeated — with some reason — after a series of recent high-profile accidents involving trains. But since then, family members began to question that claim, saying the story didn’t jibe with what they knew of the veteran employee of the BNSF Railway. Under pressure from Weaver’s family, the sheriff’s department this week said Weaver was not on his cell phone at the time he died, reversing its earlier version of events. Now, the office says Weaver, 53, of Fridley, apparently was using his cell phone shortly before he died — but not at the exact moment he was hit. April 18, 2019 – Romulus NY – An employee of Andersons Rail Group was killed after being struck by a train. Thomas J. Horn, 46 of Romulus, and another employee were moving rail cars at the former Seneca Army Depot when possibly fell and was struck. The FRA and NTSB are investigating. August 20, 1969 – Darien CT – Penn Central commuter trains N-48 and N-49 collided head-on just north of the Hoyt Street crossing on the New Canaan Branch near Darien, Connecticut. The engineer of N-48 and the conductor and flagman on Train N-49 were killed.December 2, 2019 – Port Coquitlam, British Columbia – A 56 year old Canadian Pacific engineer died in an accident at the CP Port Coquitlam yard. Kirk McClean was reportedly struck by a yard trains as he was walking across tracks after his shift had ended. McClean was a 32 year CP employee and a member of Teamsters Canada Rail Conference Division 320. According to a family member, he had called his wife, shortly before the accident, to say he was headed home. June 25, 1973 – Indio CA – There was a rear-end collision between two Southern Pacific Transportation Company freight trains in the SP yard at Indio, California. The engineer and head brakeman on the striking train were killed. May 11, 2010 – Diamondville, WY – Paul Cook, a 39-year-old Union Pacific railroad worker from Bellevue, Neb., was beaten to death last Tuesday night, May 11, just before midnight at the Fairview Motel in Diamondville. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s office deemed it a homicide, marking South Lincoln County’s first homicide since 2004. The last homicide in Lincoln County occurred in 2009.February 3, 2005 – Granite City IL – A 46 year old US Steel switchman was killed at the Granite City plant. David M Prengel was aboard a cargo train when he disembarked to activate warning signals when he was struck and dragged by the train. Prengel was a member of USW Local Union 1899 in District 7.

June 30, 2007 – Ft McMurray, Alberta – Darina Valentik was a small woman — just 115 pounds and a shade over five feet tall. She wasn’t built for hard labour. In June 2007, the 34-year-old sparkplug had recently returned to Canada after teaching English in Thailand. A free-spirited traveller trained in homeopathy, she hoped to become a pilot and work in Canada’s North. First, she needed money. In bustling Fort McMurray, she quickly found a job as a labourer. “She didn’t want to be a heavy equipment operator,” recalls her mother. “She said, ‘Oh mom, it’s just a part-time job. It’s just for a few days.’ ” Darina worked at a yard at Athabasca Northern Railway, a busy transportation link shipping materials for major oilsands players. Earning $20 an hour at Chief Hauling Contractors Inc., Darina’s responsibilities included ensuring railcars moving petroleum coke were properly connected. Less than three weeks into the job, on the morning of June 30, she faced trouble. The knuckles of some railcars weren’t lining up and Darina struggled to fix the problem with a crowbar. With one misstep, her size 4 right foot got stuck in a small gap between two rail tracks. No one was at the controls to stop the slow-moving train. In the first hour of her first day working alone, Darina was trapped. The car moved toward her at a pace less than walking speed. A nearby truck driver, there to deliver coke, scrambled to pull her free, but failed. The hopper-style car rolled over her leg, then crushed her slender body. A federal work site investigator’s report found Darina died from “multiple traumatic injuries.” The report, obtained by the Herald, states it didn’t appear she was told during training to stop the cars before trying to fix the rail coupling problem. Darina was following the “inadequate” instructions she had been given, it concluded. After Darina’s death, her employers said they didn’t know she was working alone that day. Chief Hauling Contractors was charged under the Canada Labour Code for failing to ensure Darina was made aware of every known or foreseeable health or safety hazard on site. The company pleaded guilty and was fined $225,000. “When I close my eyes, I see her blood on the tracks,” her mother says. “When I open my eyes, I still see her blood on the tracks.”

Marathon, TX – 7/25/94 “Head-on-Collision between two Southern Pacific Trains”. Engineers, F.H. “Rick” Bonnell, 56 yrs. old at time of death, employed with Southern Pacific-Eastern Lines since April 1, 1963. Member of Division 566. Milby E.Winn, 59 yrs. old at time of death, employed with Southern Pacific-Eastern Lines since May 1, 1974. Member of Division 566. October 14, 2008- PLEASANT HILL, CA — A Bay Area Rapid Transit structures inspector killed this morningwhen he was struck by a BART train between the Pleasant Hill and Concordstations was identified today as James Strickland, 44, of Concord. Strickland, who had worked for BART since 2001, was struck frombehind by an eastbound Pittsburg-Bay Point train as he was walking along thetrack, according to BART spokesman Linton Johnson. Johnson said a maintenance crew had closed one direction of thetracks, so all trains were using the San Francisco-bound tracks when the collision happened. November 11, 2006 – At 0210 eastern standard time, a spike puller operator was fatally injured while attempting to perform repairs to his machine at Mile 223.0 of the Canadian National (CN) Railway’s Kingston subdivision. The operator was an employee of Total Track Railway Construction and Maintenance Services Inc. and was working on a tie gang under contract to CN.

December 15, 2018 – Spencer NC – A contractor died in an accident at the Norfolk Southern Spencer Yard. According to reports, Kenneth Martin Eder of Carthage was killed when pressed particle boards fell on top of him while he was standing on a freight car that contained steel plates.

September 20, 1917 – Philadelphia PA – A B&O brakeman was killed at the Race Street yard in Philadelphia. Walter Briggs died when he was accidentally crushed between two rail cars. He was survived by his wife and two young children.January 4, 1987 – Chase Maryland – An Amtrak engineer and lounge car attendant along with fourteen passengers were killed when Amtrak train 94 crashed into a set of light Conrail engines. The Amtrak engineer was Jerome Evans, 35. NTSB RAR8801 can be found here.

October 18, 2007 – McCurtain County, OK – Larry B.Green, 59, died March 2, 2008 after being hospitalized about four months in a semi-comatose state following a truck/train collision in McCurtain County, Okla on October 18, 2007. He was a member of UTU Local 733, DeQueen, Ark. Green was an engineer for DeQueen & Eastern Railroad Co., which is a subsidiary of the Weyerhaeuser Co. According to reports, the collision caused Green to have a massive stroke from which he never recovered. A log truck collided with Green’s train Oct. 18. The truck was loaded with logs. The logs hit the cab of the train and struck Green. Two other railroad employees were injured but not critically. The truck driver was pronounced dead at the scene from massive injuries.

Springfield Township, Mich. — November 15, 2001 “Engineer killed in CN head-on collision”. Brother T.O. “Tom” Landris, a 27-year member of BLE Division 650 (Durand, Mich.), was killed in a head-on collision just outside of Detroit, Mich. Also killed was UTU Member Gary Chase. Their train, #243, was traveling from Flat Rock, Mich., to Flint, Mich., when it collided head-on with train #533, in a siding near Springfield Township. A fiery blaze ensured, forcing the evacuation of 100 homes in the area. The cause of the crash is still under investigation. Brother Landris was 49 years old at the time of his death. Following this tragedy, BLE International President Don M. Hahs instituted a new policy requiring that the BLE flag atop the International Division headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, be flown at half staff following the death of a BLE member in the line of duty. [Note: A memorial to Brothers Landris and Chase was commissioned by UTU Local 1736, BLE Division 650 and the CN. It was dedicated on May 18, 2002 at the Durand Michigan annual Railroad Days.]June 24, 2009 – Albertville, AL – Conductor Dustin Moles, 33, a member of Local 1972, Birmingham, Ala., was killed June 24, 2009, when the Alabama & Tennessee River Railroad train on which he was riding derailed while being switched into a shipper facility. He hired on in 2005. Dustin was a police officer prior to hiring out with the railroad. Selma, NC – 5/16/94 ” Derailment of The Silver Meteor Amtrak Train 87 following Collision with Intermodal Trailer from CSXT Train 176″. Assistant Engineer, Robert Brooks Woodward, Sr., 41 yrs. old at time of death, employed with Amtrak since May 1, 1986. Member of Division 14. November 18, 2013 – Tisdale, Saskatchewan – [from Claude Mongeau, CN President and CEO 2013/11/19] “It iswith great sadness that I inform you that our colleague Mr. Jason Cluney, a Conductor Trainee, was fatally injured during a switching operation near Crooked River, SK on November 18. Mr. Cluney was 39 and had been with CN for five months. Please join me in expressing our condolences to his wife Beth and their two children, as well as his family, friends and colleagues. An investigation is underway. This tragic accident is a reminder to us of the importance of safety in what can be an unforgiving industry. Let’s honour Mr. Cluney’s memory by rededicating ourselves to a personal commitment of performing our duties in complete safety at all times and protecting our colleagues as well.” Canada’s TSB later released their report on the accident.February 14, 2012 – Jacksonville, FL – A worker who fell from a Jacksonville train trestle below the Acosta Bridge Tuesday was a 42-year-old boom truck operator from Michigan, his employer said. Peter Jerome Michnick was working for Osmose Railroad Services doing bridge repairs on the trestle bridge when he apparently fell and struck his head. Police released his name this morning. He was on the bed of a large boom truck used to lift bridge cross-members on the last day of the project, company President Harry Holekamp said. It is the second year the company has worked on the bridge. Holekamp said none of the five other crew members working on the job saw their co-worker fall. “They heard a thump,” Holekamp said. Police said Michnick hit his head before falling into the St. Johns River and disappearing beneath the surface for about five minutes. Michnick and two workers who followed him into the water to attempt a rescue were picked up by a boater and taken to a nearby dock. Michnick was pronounced dead at Shands Jacksonville. “We’re very distraught here,” Holekamp said from the company offices in Wisconsin. He said Michnick had been with the company for about a year and was a good employee. He was married and lived in Carney, Mich.

Arminto, Wyo. — December 7, 2001 “Engineer killed in BNSF siding collision”. Brother Mike W. Hoover, 48 years old, lost his life when his Burlington Northern Santa Fe train unexpectedly encountered a mainline switch lined for a siding. The train was traveling at approximately 46 mph when it collided head-on with several locomotives attached to an unoccupied train, which had been previously parked in the siding for several days. Brother Hoover joined BLE Division 207 (Casper, Wyo.) on Aug. 1, 1977. “Losing Mike is very much like losing a close family friend,” said Division 207 Local Chairman Eric Kriegh.

May 7, 2003 – Hinesville, GA – BLET member killed when Amtrak train hits log truck. L.W. “Wayne” Edenfield died on May 7, 2003, from injuries sustained in an Amtrak collision with a log truck near Hinesville, Ga. Brother Edenfield was a member of BLET Division 35 (Jacksonville, Fla.), having served a term as its Secretary-Treasurer in the late 1990s. He first joined the BLET on April 1, 1983. Brother Edenfield, 53, was the locomotive engineer of Amtrak’s Silver Star (Train No. 91) when a log truck pulled into his path at 7:25 a.m. in Liberty County, east of Hinesville, Ga. The locomotive and all 10 cars derailed, but they remained upright.November 8, 2017 – Montreal Quebec – Details are sketchy but the Transportation Safety Board is investigating an accident at the Canadain Pacific Railroad Cote Saint-Luc rail yard where a CP employee, Dimitrios Bakirtzis, was struck and killed while working the St-Luc yard assignment. Brother Bakirtzis was a member of the Teamsters Rail Conference Canada. TSB Report R17D0123 released in 2020

October 1, 1998 – Southeast Georgia – A train conductor was killed and an engineer and two passenger were injured when the “Success Express” — a special CSX passenger train — smashed into a stalled log truck in Long County. Both locomotives and two of the cars derailed, but none overturned.April 1, 2003 – Laguana Niguel CA – Two workers inspecting tracks for MetroLink were Struck and killed by a fast moving AMTRAK train. NTSB Accident Brief

Sept. 27, 2006 – Harvey, IL – Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Rail Corporation (NIRC) 43 years-old METRA Police Department patrol officer with 3 years, 7 months service was fatally injured by gunshot wounds while conducting surveillance of a METRA commuter station where there had been recent criminal activity. September 4, 2015 – Auburn, IN – An employee of a firm doing contract work for the CSX railroad company on its double-tracked main line through Auburn, IN was struck and killed at about 11:25 A.M. by a moving CSX train. The train was hidden from his view by a standing CSX freight train. Blair F. Hammond 54, of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada, was working in the company of two CSX employees, walked around the standing train and directly into the path of the train which was hidden from view by the train he had just crossed behind. Hammond was taking a rail inspection machine from the back of the truck he used in his work. He and his co-worker had stopped the truck next to a stationary “grinder train” that was very noisy. Auburn According to Cheryl Harlow, Hammond’s girlfriend, police described a video of the accident, from a camera on the train that struck Hammond. “It just shows Blair looking down. He never looked up. He didn’t know what hit him.” Pine Bluff AR – April 3, 2015 – A Pine Bluff man, Kye Garrett Stewart, 35, was killed Friday night when he was apparently struck by a train while working on it near Evergreen Packaging on Fairfield Road. He was pronounced dead at the scene by Deputy Coroner Eric Belcher at 10:53 p.m. The cause of death was listed as multiple blunt force trauma and Kelley said the body would be sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office on Sunday for an autopsy. According to a press release from Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Lafayette Woods Jr., witnesses from Evergreen Packaging said Stewart was coupling several train cars when the operator radioed to him to failed to receive a response. The operator got out of the train, which was carrying at least 35 train cars, and walked toward the rear, where he discovered Stewart, who worked for Grace Railroad Contractors, Inc., underneath the wheels of the ninth car. NTSB issued a Railroad Accident Brief.

June 29, 2006. Lillooet Subdivision, near Lillooet, British Columbia. A CN freight train consisting of 1 locomotive and 1 car loaded with lumber derailed after losing control while descending a steep grade near Lillooet. When the crew realized the train was in a runaway situation, the conductor decoupled the loaded lumber car from the locomotive, climbed onto the car and began to make his way over the lumber to apply the hand brake located on the other end of the car. With the connection between the locomotive and the car severed, the 2 began to separate. Having separated from the locomotive by about 200 feet, the car derailed to the outside of a curve. The conductor was thrown from the derailing car and was killed. The lumber car came to rest about 1,000 feet below the rail right-of-way. The locomotive continued to accelerate. At a curve in the track, the locomotive derailed and slid about 800 feet down the mountain. The trainman was thrown from the locomotive and sustained fatal injuries. The locomotive engineer was thrown off and sustained serious injuries. The locomotive came to rest about 800 feet below the rail right-of-way. Conductor Don Faulkner and brakeman Tom Dodd were both members of UTU Local 10778 and both died. Gordon Rhodes, the engineer survived but was badly injured. In 2009, a memorial dedicated to Faulkner and Dodd was unveiled in LillooetSeptember 14, 2003 – Ogden, UT – Union Pacific Railroad Company – 53 years-old Conductor with 26 years of service was riding the end of a free-rolling, 2-car cut, whose speed he was controlling with a handbrake, when he fell, and the cars ran over him, amputating his legs. Still alive at the scene, the Conductor was airlifted to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. October 11, 2010 – Orange, TX- MATTHEW ETHEREDGE, a 23 year old Orange resident was training to be a rail switchman at a facility that manufactured ethylene and co-polymer products, and used a fleet of approximately 600 railcars to pull raw materials into and finished products out of the plant. He was working the 3:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. shift with a five person crew. The crew consisted of an engineer, conductor, yardmaster, switchman and Mr. Etheredge. At a little past midnight, members of his crew lost contact with him for approximately ten minutes. When Etheredge was located, he was found lying next to the railroad tracks with visible facial injuries with no pulse. Emergency medical personnel were summoned. They arrived and pronounced him dead. The medical examiner determined that the cause of death was blunt force injury of the chest, back, and abdomen. March 12, 2007 – Piketon, OH- A railroad worker was struck and killed by a train Monday in Pike County in southern Ohio, authorities said. The victim was an employee of Norfolk Southern Railway, Pike County Sheriff Larry Travis said in a statement. The Batavia man was struck by a northbound Norfolk Southern train while he was working on a piece of equipment, Travis said.Rossville, KS – July 2, 1997 – Engineer Michael E. Brown, 46, was killed in a collision of two Union Pacific Railroad trains. He was a member of BLE Division 81 for over 6 years. Had been employed by Union Pacific for 19 years and was promoted to locomotive engineer in January of 1991. November 30, 2006 – Alexandria, VA – About 930 AM, a northbound Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metrorail Yellow Line subway train struck and fatally injured two Metrorail employees who were performing a routine walking inspection along an outdoor section of main track near the Eisenhower Avenue station in Alexandria, Virginia. The accident occurred as the northbound train was traveling along track normally used for southbound traffic. October 23, 2013 – Cleveland, OH – A 55-year-old railroad worker was killed Wednesday morning, Oct. 23, while working along the train tracks near the Union Tank Car yard off of FM 787 at CR 2205 outside of Cleveland. According to Capt. Ken DeFoor, spokesperson for the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, the man’s skull was crushed when it was caught between a tractor and the tractor’s boom. Oscar Alfaro, an employee of Bayou City Railroad Contractors for nine years, was discovered by his son who had grown concerned about his father. “Oscar had been gone from the work crew for a while so his son went over to where he was working,” said DeFoor. “Oscar had been working with a tractor that had a bucket boom on it. He had gotten off the tractor and was picking up metal debris by hand and throwing it into the tractor.” Some of the debris hit the tractor’s controls, causing the bucket to swing around and pin the man’s head between the bucket and the tractor. It is believed he was killed instantly.

June 6, 1995. Saint-Laurent Subdivision, Langelier Spur, Saint-Léonard, Quebec. A locomotive was pushing a tank car toward a public crossing when the train hit a tractor trailer. The conductor and trainman were riding on the platform at the leading end of the tank car. Although some hand gestures were made by the trainman as the tractor-trailer approached the crossing, no one got off the train to flag and stop the truck, as required. The conductor got caught between the train and the tractor-trailer and was fatally injured. July 10, 2009 – Gordon, GA- Damien Whipple, 24 was killed from fall off a train onto the tracks and was pinned under another train while switching rail cars at Rescar Industries in Gordon, GA. Federal OSHA investigated the incident and assessed a $32,000.00 penalty and 9 serious violations wich was later reduced to $1,600.00 in penalties, 4 serious violations and 1 other. April 23, 2007 – Toronto Canada – Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) maintenance worker Anthony (Tony) Almeida died. He was crushed to death when scaffolding on a flatbed car caught on a cable dangling from a tunnel wall and careened on top of the subway work car Almeida was operating. Tony, 38 years old, had worked for TTC for the past five years. He was known by his co-workers as a model employee and leaves behind his wife and two children—an eight-year-old son and a five-year-old daughter. About 1,000 family, friends and co-workers gathered at his funeral to pay tribute. Hundreds of TTC workers walked out of the Hillcrest maintenance complex, lining both sides of the street for several city blocks as the funeral procession passed by.September 25, 2019 – Montgomery County VA – A 40 year old Norfolk Southern employee was killed in a tragic work accident while driving his NS fuel truck. Keith Whited was a member of BMWED Affiliated System Federation Local Lodge 571 and was a 10 year NS employee. According to a sheriff’s office Captain, an investigation showed that the Norfolk Southern truck over-corrected while trying to maintain control on the windy road and the truck crossed the center line and struck an oncoming SUV. Whited is survived by his wife and two stepsons.September 4, 2010 – In Mobile, Ala., conductor Josh Roper, 27, died Sept. 4 while working a conventional switching job with Alabama State Docks Terminal Railroad. He had been furloughed by CSX before hiring on with the state-owned railroad. Roper was member of UTU Local 598. He is survived by his wife, Cassie, and two-year-old daughter.

May 24, 2011 – CSX conductor Phillip E. Crawford Jr., 33, and BLET member James Gregory Hadden were killed early May 24 in a rear-end collision involving two CSX freight trains in Mineral Springs, N.C. Brother Crawford was a member of UTU Local 970, Abbeville, S.C. and had signed on with CSX in October 2005. Brother Hadden was a member of BLET Division 498 in Abbeville, S.C. He joined the Brotherhood on March 1, 2003. A CSX spokesperson said that the rear-end collision occurred on northbound tracks and involved one train enroute to Hamlet, N.C., from New Orleans, and another enroute to Charlotte from southern Georgia.

April 30, 2015 – Forreston, IL – An R.J. Corman Railroad Group employee was killed Thursday in a railroad work accident in Illinois, authorities said. James C. Campbell, 20, of Prestonsburg, KY suffered a fatal head injury while working along Canadian Pacific Railroad tracks near the village of Forreston. Campbell was in an all-terrain vehicle near a spot where other workers were using a large magnetic boom to pick up metal railroad spikes along the tracks, the sheriff’s department said. The boom somehow went out of control and spun, striking the four-seat vehicle, the sheriff’s department said. Officials say Campbell was ejected from the vehicle and injured his head. He was doing private contracting work. Campbell, the only person in the vehicle, died at the scene, officials said.

March 27, 2020 – New York, NY – A MTA motorman was killed in a subway fire that was ruled as arson and a subsequent homicide. Garrett Goble, 36, of Brooklyn was found unresponsive on the tracks after he and another transit worker, who was onboard as a passenger, helped riders evacuate the burning subway. Authorities found a charred shopping cart inside the train and believe an accelerant in the cart helped the fire spread. Brother Goble was a member of TWU Local 100 and leaves behind a wife and two young sons, 8-month-old Hunter and 10-year-old Noah. As of June 2020, no arrest had been made in the case.October 22, 2003 – Grenada, MS – Illinois Central Railroad – 39 years-old Carpenter with 9 years of service fell from a railroad trestle and drowned while assisting other bridge workers in the replacement of old bridge ties

September 15, 2018 – Ponton Manitoba – A 38 year-old Hudson Bay Railway conductor was killed and a 59 year-old engineer was seriously injured when their train derailed at a washed-out bridge. According to reports the train wreckage was discovered entirely by chance by a helicopter and the outside world became aware some two hours after the crash when the helicopter crew was able to find cell service and call for help. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference has called for a coroner’s inquest and allege in a press release “Both men initially survived the crash, and the injuries sustained by the conductor appeared to have been entirely survivable. But paramedics were not allowed to attend to the wreck site. It is not clear how that decision was made, or by whom. Nine and a half hours after the derailment, the conductor apparently died as a broken bone bled out.” LATER: Brother Anderson’s family speaks out and ask questions.

February 27, 2008 – Charny Quebec – Michel Ouellet, 53, a CN Rail employee with 34 years of experience as a train conductor and member of UTU Local 4 in Charny, Quebec, was killed Feb. 27 while replacing a knuckle on a train.This is a free service that you can opt into or out of at any time. RWU regularly emails various articles about rail labor, the rail industry, and the labor movement in general to thousands of rank & file union members across the continent. Please click on the button below and fill out the short form to receive RWU News & Information emails. NOTE: You may NOT be employed as a manager of a rail corporation and be part of this service. June 29, 1996 – Lyons NY – About 7:30 a.m., eastern daylight time, on Saturday, June 29, 1996, westbound Consolidated Rail Corporation (CR) freight train TV-77 struck a Loram Badger ditch digger near Lyons, New York. The accident occurred on CR’s River Line at milepost (MP) 332.2. There are two main tracks; one is designated main track 1 and the other, main track 2. The Ditch Digger was working on track 2 and obstructing track 1. The left-front side of train TV-77’s lead locomotive unit, CR 5016, struck the Ditch Digger’s conveyor belt which was extending across track 1. The impact crushed the nose and the south side of thelocomotive cab. Train TV-77 had an engineer and a conductor. The conductor was fatally injured as a result of the impact. There were no reported injuries to the engineer or to the crew of the Ditch Digger. June 24, 2005 – Hereford TX – A Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway maintenance of way trackman died after a company train struck him near Hereford. Robert G. Chavez, 47, of Clovis, N.M., was pronounced dead at a railroad crossing about a mile east of Hereford, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety report. Chavez had worked for BSNF for 21 years. Chavez and a BNSF foreman, whose name was not available late Friday, were working on tracks at the intersection of FM. 2943 and U.S. Highway 60, where three tracks run east and west, the report said. Both men were bent over, working on the tracks about 9:45 when an eastbound BNSF train, headed to Amarillo from Clovis, struck Chavez. The foreman was able to apparently jump away from the train, the DPS report said.January 14, 2007 – Valley Stream, New York – A Long Island Rail Road worker supervising repairs to the tracks between Valley Stream and Rosedale was struck by a train yesterday and later died, MTA police said. The LIRR employee, 50, whose name was not released, was leading a crew of four at 9:55 a.m. when he was hit by a westbound 9:12 a.m. train from Babylon, Det. Sgt. Andrew Roderick said. “He wasn’t actually on the track,” Roderick said. “He was just next to it, but he was close enough.” The foreman, a 21-year employee, was conscious when emergency workers flew him to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, where he was pronounced dead at about noon, Roderick said. A horn had sounded to indicate a train was near and the foreman had alerted his crew to get out of the way. All five moved away from an eastbound train, Roderick said, but the foreman apparently didn’t realize another train, heading west, was coming about a minute later. He was walking back to the spot where he had been working when the train hit him, Roderick said. BY JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER and JENNIFER MALONEY, Newsday Staff WritersMay 18, 2011 – St Joseph MO- Buchanan County Undersheriff Lt. Col. Bill Puett said around 1 p.m., Robert V. Montgomery, 40, was “working on a piece of a railcar and there was an accident where a piece fell and killed him.” He said Mr. Montgomery was pronounced dead at the scene after the piece of equipment fell directly on him. The accident occurred at Herzog’s railcar repair shop, just off Easton Road on County Road 55. Workers there perform maintenance as well as custom work on railcars. Employees at Herzog, which is headquartered in St. Joseph and does construction and railroad business across the country, declined to comment on the accident.

January 23, 2012 – St. Louis, MO- Carter Perry, 57, who worked for the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis, was working on the railroad bridge at South Sixth and Gratiot streets when he stepped onto an unsecured metal walkway about 12:50 p.m., according to St. Louis police. The walkway gave way and Perry fell. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police have ruled Perry’s death accidental. George Muraski, chief of police for Terminal Railroad, said Perry had been employed with the railroad since 1975. He was a resident of Belleville. “He was a very, very nice person,” Muraski said. “He was friendly and always smiled.”September 19, 2011- Elkton, MD – A CSX employee died Monday after falling from a railroad bridge over Garrett Island. Authorities say Bernard T. Burrows, 58, of Stanton, Del., was on the CSX bridge over the Susquehanna River when he fell at approximately 2:20 p.m. “It’s being treated as an occupational fatality,” said Sgt. Art Windemuth, spokesman for the Maryland Natural Resources Police, which responded to the incident. Garrett Island sits in the river between Cecil and Harford counties. CSX spokesman Bob Sullivan said Burrows was working as a bridge repairman and has been with the company since 1973. Burrows was a member of a crew working on the bridge when he fell.