CUMBERLAND, Md. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating an accident that resulted in the death of a CSX Transportation conductor trainee on Monday morning. Following the accident, the railroad imposed a safety standdown for its 350 conductor trainees.
“CSX confirms that an employee was fatally injured in the course of working early this morning in Cumberland, Md.,” the railroad said in a statement. “CSX mourns the loss of this employee, and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones. The safety of our railroaders is our highest priority. CSX is working with officials to determine exactly what happened.”
The accident occurred just a week after CSX and members of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers’ Transportation Division union (SMART-TD) announced a partnership to extend conductor training by a week in order to provide new hires with more hands-on experience prior to beginning on-the-job training.
“We are sending all conductor trainees back to their home terminals to participate in a special half-day intensive instruction on critical rules and riding equipment,” CSX spokesman Bryan Tucker says.
The Cumberland fatality is the second involving a CSX conductor trainee since June. On June 26, a CSX conductor trainee was killed after falling from a railcar during a shoving move and being hit by the train, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report on the accident at the Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore.
“This morning we experienced a tragic loss in our company,” CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs wrote in an email to employees today. “Conductor Trainee Travis Bradley, a valued member of our team, was fatally injured while riding equipment at our Cumberland, Md., yard. Our sincere and deepest condolences go to his family, friends, and co-workers.”
Bradley, of Ridgeley, W.Va., was hired in June. He is survived by his wife, Nichole, two teenage daughters, and a stepdaughter.
“While the full details of this incident are still under investigation, it serves as a solemn reminder to all of us of the critical need for constant vigilance in the rail work environment,” Hinrichs wrote. “Tragically, this is the second loss of a conductor trainee that we have experienced in two months. It reinforces the importance of prioritizing both our own safety and that of our teammates.”