DECATUR, Ala. - CSX conductor and UTU member Gregory Johnson has been identified as the rail worker killed in a train derailment in north Alabama.
Decatur police said 28-year-old Johnson, of Birmingham, died in the accident Tuesday night, Oct. 14.
Johnson was a member of Local 847, Birmingham.
Two trains operated by CSX Railroad collided and went off the tracks at about 11:30 p.m.
A total of five cars derailed. All were carrying soybeans and soybean oil.
The derailment damaged three cars at the switch yard, located next to the Skate Castle at Funland Park in Decatur on Fourth Avenue Southeast, the Decatur Daily reported.
Station 1 and Station 3 from Decatur Fire and Rescue responded at 11:35 p.m. and located Johnson entrapped in the wreckage, Battalion Chief Lorenzo Jackson said.
Crews worked through the night to free Johnson, who was trapped under the wreckage. They removed him about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.
R.J. Corman Derailment Services had arrived from Memphis with five pieces of heavy equipment to remove the damaged cars. Crews had to cut away part of the track.
Police at the scene said investigators with CSX and the National Transportation Safety Board would be determining the cause of the derailment.
Nate Ivey and Josh Victorino, both of Decatur, said they heard and saw the train derail from the nearby Carmike Theater.
I see the train go by everyday here from where I work, and I thought it seemed weird to see it moving backwards, Ivey said.
Right after that, we both heard what sounded like a gunshot blast, and the train completely stopped, Victorino said. They said it appeared the train was traveling about 15 mph or more when it derailed.
(This item was compiled from information on the WAAYTV.com Web site, the Decatur Daily and information received at the UTU.)
Damn! Young cat...probably just getting his career started. Ya never know what can happen out there... Just goes ta show, take yer eyes off the ball for a second, and bam! Yer dead.
And life goes on...
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Hmm. That address doesnt look right. It looks like the link pointing here was faulty.
Our briefing yesterday on this was that he was setting out a cut of cars, and side swiped his on train causing the car he was riding to derail and fall on him.
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I started ophph with nuthin, and I can safely say I have most of it left.... <img
Our briefing yesterday on this was that he was setting out a cut of cars, and side swiped his on train causing the car he was riding to derail and fall on him.
