WASHINGTON — A Fairfield Southern Co. employee involved in remote-control switching died from injuries suffered when he struck a railcar on an adjacent track, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report on the June 16, 2025, accident issued today (July 16, 2025).
During switching work at the U.S. Steel Flintridge Yard in Fairfield, Ala., at about 9:53 p.m., the employee, a footboard yardmaster, was riding the lead car in a shoving move from track 1 to track 4. During that move, the lead car passed a section of track with close clearances from railcars on the adjacent track 3; at some point, the footboard yardmaster called for the radio control operator to stop, and the operator placed the train into emergency braking. The injured employee requested medical assistance and emergency services were dispatched, but the footboard yardmaster died while being transported to a nearby hospital.
NTSB reports do not identify those involved, but a news report said Michael Dewaine Townsend, 39, died from blunt force injuries [see “NTSB to investigate rail death …,”Trains News Wire, June 17, 2025]…