New CSX conductor improvises to save a life

Brother Juan Carrillo joined Tennessee Local 1308 on December,1 2024. He’s already saved a man’s life.  

A man lying on the tracks

Brother Carrillo was coming into Leewood Yard on March 15, which was completely full of trash as usual. Something black on the rail caught his eye.  
 
“The guy lifted his head…he was just laying on the rail long ways, wearing all black,” Carrillo remembered. “He had black hair. So we couldn’t notice him until he lifted up his head, and we started honking the horn.” It was too late to stop. 
 
“He was fully in the rail,” Carrillo added. “He must have woken up enough to try and roll out, but he didn’t quite get there.” The man disappeared beneath the train.

Life or Death

After the train stopped, Brother Carrillo gathered his gear and rushed to see if anything could be done. He vividly remembers what happened next.  
 
“I was looking on the side, because he was closer to the engineer side,” Carrillo said. “I get there and I see his foot. And then I look further forward. I go closer to check on him, and I wasn’t sure if he was alive or not. Then I noticed he’s breathing.” 
 
“I look at his leg, and it’s kind of shredded up… There was slight hesitation at the beginning just because I thought we had just completely killed [him], but once I saw he was alive, it just kicked right in that I needed to do something.” 

Military training pays off 

After seven years of active duty and as a current member of the National Guard, Brother Carrillo is confident that his military training and experience played a critical role in this situation.  
 
“Just from running through drills and stuff, you kind of get used to being around hectic situations,” Carrillo described. “It’s a lot easier to keep a calm head and to know what you need to do.” 

Keep calm and carry on 

Brother Carrillo’s advice for other members who happen to find themselves in a similar situation is simple: “If something like that happens, do your best to keep a calm head.” 

He didn’t have a string long enough to form a tourniquet, but he noticed the man’s lace-up boots.  
 
“I take off his boot lace, and I tie a knot on the end…wrap it around his leg or his thigh above where it’s cut off, put it through the knot and tighten it as hard as I can and just start wrapping to keep the pressure on,” Carrillo explained.  
 
Carrillo’s improvised solution stopped the man from bleeding to death.  

Lifesaving truth: train crews are always able to respond first 

This situation would have turned fatal without a qualified second crewperson in the cab of that train. 

Would Trip Optimizer notice the subtle movement of the man’s head or reacted with the same urgency? Could a remote operator jump off the head end and rush to render aid? Can an autonomous cargo unit improvise a tourniquet to wrap around the man’s severed leg? 
 
Further, would a solo engineer be required to man the cab until his Road Utility or roving conductor could drive in to assist? If the lone engineer wanted to help, how long would they be delayed securing their engines and other equipment first?  

These questions all have the same answer. The man would have bled out on the tracks before anyone could arrive to help. 

A fully manned locomotive is a life-saving necessity. Having a second set of eyes, hands, and instincts makes all the difference in a crisis.  

Thank you, Brother Carrillo, for your life-saving actions. Thank you for your service to our country and taking such decisive action in an emergency. Your SMART-TD family is proud to count you as one of our own!