As the National Transportation Safety Board continues to investigate an accident in Wyoming that killed two SMART TD members out of Local 446, it issued a pair of safety recommendations to Class I railroads and a recommendation to the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association regarding train emergency brake communication.
Benjamin George “Benji” Brozovich, 39, and Jason V. Martinez, 40, both members of the Cheyenne, Wyo., local, died in the Oct. 4, 2018, accident. The NTSB recommendations follow.
To the Class I Railroads:
Review and issue guidance as necessary for the inspection of end-of-railcar air hose configurations to ensure the air hose configuration matches the intended design. (R-19-41)
Review and revise your air brake and train handling instructions for grade operations and two-way end-of-train device instructions to include: monitoring locomotive air flow meters, checking the status of communication between the head-of-train and end-of train devices before cresting a grade, and the actions to take if the air pressure at the rear of the train does not respond to an air brake application. (R-19-42)
To the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association:
Alert your member carriers to (1) inspect the end-of-railcar air hose configurations to ensure the hose configurations match the intended design and (2) review and revise their air brake and train handling instructions for grade operations and two-way end-of-train device instructions to include: monitoring locomotive air flow meters, checking the status of communication between the head-of-train and end-of-train devices before cresting a grade, and the actions to take if the air pressure from the rear of the train does not respond to an air brake application. (R-19-43)
The NTSB investigation into the accident is ongoing. It issued a preliminary report on the accident last November.
Read the safety recommendations on the NTSB website.
Tag: members killed on the job
SMART Transportation Division is mourning the loss of two members who were killed in a deadly train collision that occurred Oct. 4 west of Cheyenne, Wyo.
Benjamin Brozovich, 39, of Lusk, Wyo., and Jason V. Martinez, 40, of Cheyenne, died when their Union Pacific freight train collided into the back of another stopped UP train.
Martinez was a 12-year member out of Local 446. Brozovich had been a member of the same local for three years.
Members of the SMART TD National Safety Team were dispatched and assisting the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation, said Vice President John England.
Wyoming State Legislative Director Stan Blake described the crash as “horrific.”
The investigation is continuing.
CSX conductors and Local 600 members Jake LaFave and Stephen Deal lost their lives June 27 when they stepped off a CSX locomotive to check an alert and were hit by an Amtrak train.
Jake J. LaFave
LaFave, 25, enjoyed spending time with loved ones, working on electronics, playing video and card games, and going on road trips. A newly wed, LaFave married his wife, Caitlin in March 2017.
A Pinckney High School, (Pinckney, Mich.) 2011 graduate, LaFave continued his education at Washtenaw Community College, in Ann Arbor, Mich., where he studied Computer Systems and Networking.
He is survived by his wife, Caitlin (Blough) LaFave; parents James and Kathy LaFave; sister, Shae LaFave; grandparents, Bud and Beverly Mancuso, and James and Marcia LaFave; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.
A public memorial service will be held at the Blough Residence on July 8 at 7 p.m. at 9833 Turkey Creek Rd., Easton, MD 21601. Family and friends are also invited to LaFave’s home at 12922 N. Cresap St., Cumberland, MD 21502, July 11 from 2 – 8 p.m. to share stories and offer condolences.
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Stephen Wayne Deal
Deal, 20, was a 2014 graduate of Meyersdale Area High School, Meyersdale, Pa. He attended the Meyersdale Grace Brethren Church and was a member of the FFA, where he received the Keystone and American Degrees. Before coming to work for CSX, Deal was employed as a farm hand and as a temporary PennDOT worker.
Deal enjoyed riding his motorcycle and ATV, farming, hunting and spending time with his family.
He is survived by his parents, Donald S. and Loretta (Hetz) Deal; sister, Aleigha (Walt) Oakes; nephew, Wyatt Austin Oakes; grandmothers, Wilda Deal and Judy Hetz; great-grandmother, Thelma Durst; aunts and uncles, Rhonda (Charles) Teets, Monica (George) Porter, Teresa (Gary) Haer, Harrison (Kim) Hetz, and Jesse (Melissa) Hetz; and numerous cousins and friends. Deal was preceded in death by his pappys, Donald W. Deal and Harrison F. “Cork” Hetz Jr.
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