The clear skies offered good visibility and a lookout was posted on the morning of November 30, 2018, but those factors didn’t prevent a CSX Transportation freight train from striking and killing a track welder in Estill, South Carolina.
The National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) preliminary report on the incident offers few clues as to why the accident occurred. According to the report, the accident occurred as the train – traveling at about 50 miles an hour – approached a location where a welder was at work on the track. An additional roadway worker was at the work location and had been assigned to watch for approaching trains and provide a warning to the welder. The crew members of the train told investigators that they did not realize that a person was on the track until moments before impact. They sounded the train horn and bell; however, there was no response from the roadway work group.