2004 the deadliest year in a decade for Norfolk Southern, reports show

By TONY BAUGHMAN Staff writer

Six people died and another 11 were injured in collisions involving Norfolk Southern trains during the first nine months of 2004, according to Federal Railroad Administration data.

Add in the five Avondale Mills employees killed in November at a Graniteville railroad crossing — deaths not yet compiled in government statistics — and last year was the deadliest in the last 10 years for Norfolk Southern.

The following is a list of Norfolk Southern accidents that ended in injury or death last year:

January

n On Jan. 5, one person was injured when a six-car train collided with an automobile at a crossing near Kalamazoo, Mich.

n A motorist in Lake Station, Ind., drove around the safety gates at a crossing on Jan. 11 and was killed by an oncoming 124-car Norfolk Southern train.

n On Jan. 28, a 73-car Norfolk Southern train hit a dump truck at a crossing in Macon, Ga., killing the truck driver.

March

n On March 30, two people were hurt when a 49-car train hit a flatbed trailer at a crossing in Villa Rica, Ga.

May

n Two trains collided on May 27 near Linden, Va., at 19 mph, derailing two cars and injuring one person.

June

n Two people were injured June 11 when a 74-car train entering the railroad yard in Melvindale, Mich., was sideswiped by a remote-controlled locomotive pulling 29 cars.

n On June 22, a 29-car train collided with a dump truck trying to weave through a crossing gate near Bessemer, Ala., injuring the truck driver.

n Three people were killed and another was injured when a five-car train hit a loaded fuel truck at a crossing near Arabi, La. The tanker exploded on impact.

July

n On July 9, a coal train with three engines and 90 cars collided with a logging truck at a crossing in Hollywood, Ala. Two people were injured and 17 coal cars derailed.

September

n One person was injured Sept. 9 in a collision involving a 15-car train and a dump truck filled with gravel near Gary, Ind.

n On Sept. 11, a 109-car train derailed near Phelps, Ky., after hitting debris. One person was injured.

Historically, Norfolk Southern has been honored as one of the safest large railroads in the U.S. For 15 consecutive years, beginning in 1989, the company has received the E.H. Harriman Memorial gold medal for employee safety, given by the Association of American Railroads based on federal accident statistics.

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