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Railway worker crushed to death
Published June 27, 2009
Progress Rail’s scrap yard, on Industrial Boulevard in Albertville, was the scene of a fatal accident shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Dustin Price Moles, 33, of 1363 Lasseter Road, Southside, was fatally injured when he was crushed between a railroad tank car and a pile of scrap metal.
According to the official police report, and statements by Albertville Fire Chief Robert Terrell, Moles, a conductor for Alabama & Tennessee Railroad, was standing on a small platform at the rear of the tank car at the time of the accident.
The tank car was part of a 75-car train believed to have been brought there to be scrapped.
The train’s engineer, Russell Moore, of Attalla, told police Moles “was guiding him into the yard by radio.”
Moore told officers the last verbal transmission he received from Moles were the words “three car lengths.”
Shortly after that, Moore said he heard what he described as a “click” over the radio.
Attempts, by Moore, to contact Moles by radio were unsuccessful, so Moore cut the power to the train and ran to its rear.
Moore told Albertville police officers, who were responding to a call that “a railroad car had derailed and a conductor was missing,” he found Moles “crushed between a rail car and a pile of scrap.”
According to Terrell, “We arrived on scene with two paramedics and five firefighters, including myself, at approximately 10:30 p.m. We made contact with the police, the engineer, and Progress Rail personnel.
“We surveyed the scene and began to evaluate the situation, and how to extricate the victim once the coroner arrived and officially declared him deceased, and gave his okay to remove him.”
Marshall County Coroner Marlon Killion arrived on scene at 11:15 p.m. and officially pronounced Moles dead of multiple blunt-force traumas at 11:30 p.m.
“We received the go-ahead from Killion at approximately 1 a.m.,” Terrell said.
Terrell said, “Based on preliminary conditions at the scene, it appeared the tank car collided with a large pile of scrap steel along side the track, pinning the victim between it and the tank car. Although I do not know at present, it appeared the impact with the scrap pile might have caused a portion of the tank car’s wheels to derail.”
Killion said, “The effort to remove Moles body was completed at 3:55 a.m.”
Terrell added, “Progress Rail provided a crane and other equipment that made it easier to accomplish what would otherwise have been an extremely difficult task. Their assistance was greatly appreciated.”
Ken Lass, Progress Rail’s Corporate Director of Communications, said Thursday, “The company, at this time, doesn’t wish to make a public statement regarding the incident until the official investigation is complete.”
Among those agencies investigating the accident are The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent federal investigatory agency.
The NTSB typically launches an investigation of a railroad accident where there has been a loss of life. When the NTSB decides to do so, it generally becomes the primary federal investigative body and has responsibility for determining the probable cause of the accident.
In such cases, the Federal Railroad Administration, which works cooperatively with the NTSB and is responsible for determining compliance with existing federal regulations, has a representative onsite.
The ATN is represented, on scene, by investigators from OmniTRAX, Inc.
OmniTRAX, based in Denver, Colo., is one of the largest privately held operator and managers of regional railroads in North America.
Accordig to the ATN Web site, the company operates over 120 miles of track extending from Birmingham to the rail barge terminal at the Port of Guntersville.
Their headquarters are in Gadsden and they have a diverse traffic base, including food, corn and soybean products, wood products, metals and scrap, industrial chemicals, and cement.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also investigating the accident.
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