BETHLEHEM, N.Y. - Officials are investigating a fatal accident Sunday (May 10) in the CSX rail yard in Selkirk that killed UTU member Jerod Boehlke, according to news reports.
Boehlke died after he was hit by a train in the yard just before 7 p.m.
Boehlke, 33, was a member of Local 212, Albany.
Boehlke is from a railroad family. His father is a conductor, and a brother, Dave, is a conductor who was on duty at the same time and accompanied him to the hospital. His uncle is a retired engineer, according to New England States Legislative Director and General Chairperson George Casey.
(Dave Boehlke also is a member of Local 212.)
Georgia Boehlke, the victim's grandmother, said this morning (May 11) that the family was grieving for her grandson who has one daughter. The family declined further comment.
It's the second employee death at the rail yard in less than three years.
The last worker killed there, John A. Williams, 53, was crossing the tracks on an ATV when he collided with the New Jersey-bound train in Dec. 18, 2006. Authorities found Williams under the engine and pronounced him dead at the scene. He was driving along an access road from one part of the yard to another when the accident happened.
It was later determined he failed to stop for a stop sign in the yard. His death was ruled accidental.
(This item was compiled from reports from the Albany Times Union newspaper and the CBS 6 News Web site. Additional information was added by UTU editors.) M
BETHLEHEM, N.Y. A investigation into the death of a UTU member who was killed working at the CSX railyard in Selkirk is underway, the Daily Mail reports.
According to Bob Sullivan, a CSX spokesman, investigators are working to uncover the circumstances that led to the death of 33-year-old Jared C. Boehlke.
(Boehlke was a member of Local 212, Albany.)
Boehlke died after being hit by a train in the CSX Selkirk railyard just before 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Were investigating, said Sullivan. Were working with the Federal Railroad Administration, Department of Transportation, the Bethlehem Police Department and the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate the circumstances and cause of the accident.
Sullivan added that they were going to let the investigation run its course and get a sound idea before speculating as how to the accident happened.
According to a NTSB spokesman, Investigator Ed Dobranetski was dispatched Monday morning to make a report of the incident.
It could take Dobranetski a few days to file a report and between six to 18 months before it is officially published, according to the NTSB spokesman.
Boehlke has been an employee of CSX for the past eight years and is survived by his wife Heather and their three-year-old daughter.
The UTU indicated that Boehlke and his family have been in the railroad business for generations.
His father is a conductor, and a brother Dave is a conductor who was on duty at the same time and accompanied him to the hospital, wrote George Casey, the UTU New England legislative director, on the unions Web site.
(This item appeared May 13, 2009, in the Daily Mail. Additional information added by UTU editors.)
