USW Railroad Related Fatalities

This report is a summary of 87 railroad-related incidents resulting in 89 fatalities in USW-represented workplaces between January 1, 1980, and June 16, 2025, as reported to the USW Health, Safety and Environment Department.

The report does not necessarily include all railroad fatalities at USW-represented workplaces, only those reported to the USW’s Health, Safety & Environment Department. Some employers are required to report by the union contract; in other cases, the information was sent voluntarily by the employer, the USW staff representative, or the local union. The reporting is probably more consistent for members than for supervisors, contractors and other non-members.

The term USW includes the current USW and all its predecessor unions; however, the records are limited for pre-merger unions other than the USWA so some fatalities may not be listed. The USW remains willing to add railroad related fatalities to this report from local unions, staff representatives and/or employers.

Accident reports are very important. Other local unions can use them to prevent similar accidents. If a USW member, supervisor, contractor, member of another union, or non-union worker is killed at your workplace or dies of an occupational disease, please notify us as soon as possible using the USW’s 24-hr Emergency Response Hotline at (866) 526-3480.

Some accidents may still be under investigation, so this report should be considered preliminary.

1. September 20, 1980, Grayson Finley, 56, a switchman with 18 years of job experience at Armco Steel in Ashland, Kentucky, fell while trying to board a moving locomotive. He was dragged about 25 feet along the ground and died a month later from internal injuries.
2. October 17, 1980, John Callihan, 36, a rigger who worked for 12 years at Armco Steel in Ashland, Kentucky, was working on a mold buggy with a co-worker when several other mold buggies started to move toward them. The co-worker yelled and jumped out of the way, but Callihan was crushed between the buggies.
3. October 17, 1980, Herbert Covington, 51, an engineer with 12 years of job experience at U.S. Steel in Gary, Indiana, was inside the locomotive in the blast furnace area when a violent explosion occurred in a slag pit, throwing molten metal into the area. He sustained third degree burns over 80% of his body and died the same day.
4. May 25, 1981, Bruce Kresse, 27, an employee of Philadelphia, Bethlehem and New England Railroad, was killed when he fell under a train engine.
5. July 15, 1981, Robert A. Schleifer, 57, an employee of Philadelphia, Bethlehem and New England Railroad, died after being struck by a rail car near the plant’s coke works.
6. December 30, 1981, Lowell Sims, 33, an engineer with less than a year of job experience at Republic Steel in Gadsden, Alabama, was riding the front of the lead car of a remote-controlled engine, when the lead car derailed which caused him to dismount or be thrown from the car. He died of massive crushing injuries.
7. February 3, 1982, Lee Parnham, 33, an employee of Bethlehem Steel died of head injuries after being caught between a coal car and a coal scale.
8. March 12, 1982, Sean Crawford, 22, a switchman with less than a month of job experience at National Steel in Granite City, Illinois, was attempting to mount a dummy car. He reached or leaned around to the front of the dummy car to insert a link into the lead end and rolled under the lead end of the dummy car. An employee who witnessed the accident tried to signal the engineer to stop. It was estimated that Crawford had been rolled along the track by the lead end of dummy car, a distance of 30-feet.
9. April 12, 1982, Ben Flagg, 38, a switchman who worked 20 years at National Steel in River Rouge, Michigan, was riding the lead car of seven hopper cars when it derailed, but continued moving until it struck a safety handrail and utility lines, pinning him between the car and handrail.
10. May 17, 1982, Harold W. Grubb, 61, a locomotive operator who worked 30-years at Armco Steel in Kansas City, Missouri, was found pinned between couplers of two gondola-type railroad cars. He suffered crushing injuries to the chest. He was switching railroad cars using a remote-controlled locomotive.
11. January 4, 1983, Ernest S. Landis, 34, a locomotive crane operator with 3-years on the job at U.S. Steel in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, died when he was caught between couplers. He was assigned to pick up a scrap car with a diesel electric locomotive crane. The first attempt to couple failed and the stationary car was propelled in an uncontrolled move as a result of impact. He sustained massive crushing injuries to his abdomen when he was caught between the couplers.
12. December 1, 1983, Lynn Hall, 38, a conductor with 6.5 years of job experience at U.S. Steel in Provo, Utah, was trying to uncouple a car next to a loading dock. It is believed that Hall was struck by protruding plates that carried him into a 10-inch wide space between the moving car and the loading dock.
13. August 20, 1984, Joseph Bernal, a conductor at Inland Steel in East Chicago, Indiana, was fatally crushed when he crossed in front of a two-man remote-operated moving train. The operator saw the conductor on one side but lost sight of him. The operator moved the locomotive about 75 yards down the track and then saw the deceased.
14. January 22, 1985, Enedey Solis, an employee of Inland Steel in East Chicago, Indiana, was caught between two cars when he was requested to open the knuckle of one of the cars, but went in between the wrong cars.
15. July 16, 1985, Riley Lindsey, 56 a conductor at National Steel in Ecorse, Michigan, was struck by a steel cable that broke when the engineer tried to move the cars while the cable was still attached. An employee had reattached the cable by mistake.
16. December 15, 1985, Joe LaSalle, 32, a switchman with only two weeks of job experience at Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel in Steubenville, Ohio, was riding on the front end of 13 empty hopper cars when he fell in front of the car.
17. December 27, 1985, James Hall, 59, an engineer with over 24-years of job experience at U.S. Steel in Gary, Indiana, was moving a locomotive with cars loaded with bundles of scrap using a remote-control device, when a scrap bundle fell off one of the gondola cars and crushed him.
18. January 10, 1986, Alfred Rojo, a 51-year old conductor at National Steel in Ecorse, Michigan, was walking along the track in front of a moving locomotive when he took two steps to his left and was struck by the locomotive.
19. January 16, 1986, Neil Newell, 60, a laborer with 38 years of service with U. S. Steel in Provo, Utah was helping a forklift operator free his forklift truck that was stuck in the snow on a railroad track, when he was struck by a moving locomotive.
20. January 27, 1986, George J. Yatsko, 50, a combustion/pump repairman who worked 21 years at Sharon Steel, Sharon, Pennsylvania, died after being struck by a free-wheeling railroad car.
21. April 5, 1986, Peter Kovacevic, 61, a conductor with 15 years of job experience at Sharon Steel in Sharon, Pennsylvania, died after coming out of a car dumper. He was struck by a free-wheeling railroad car. This accident was only nine weeks after George Yatsko was killed in a similar accident.
22. August 15, 1986, John Bubalo, 46, a switchman with only five weeks of job experience at Black Lick Railroad in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was riding on the lead car when it derailed and shook him off. He was crushed under the wheels of the lead car.
23. October 3, 1986, Willie Phillips, 40, a trestle car operator with over 20 years at Sharon Steel in Farrell, Pennsylvania, was unloading ore pellets into a bin at the blast furnace, when the hopper car tipped over, crushing him between the car and a handrail. The pellets on one side of the car were unloaded faster than the other side, making the car unbalanced.
24. June 24, 1987, Caroline Lewis, 47, an engineer with 3 years of job experience at U.S. Steel in Gary, Indiana, was operating a remote-control locomotive when she was crushed between a car she had cut loose and the locomotive.
25. June 25, 1987, Charles Fryberger, 34, a conductor with 14 years of job experience at LTV Steel in Canton, Ohio, was caught between two railroad cars being coupled by a locomotive.
26. December 7, 1987, Raymond Martin, 33, an engineer with less than four months of job experience at Armco Steel in Kansas City, Missouri, was operating a remote-controlled engine when he was struck by the lead car and dragged 43 feet, cutting off his arm and leg. He died as a result of his injuries.
27. August 25, 1988, John Balogach, 50, a remote-control train operator with three years of job experience at U.S. Steel in Fairless, Pennsylvania, died while uncoupling buggies. The cars were on a curve, with only five inches between them. On the straightaway, there are 10.5 inches between the cars. His head was crushed between two buggies.
28. June 27, 1989, Michael Mallas, 38, a conductor with 17 years of job experience at Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel in Steubenville, Ohio, was getting ready to couple two cars together when over the radio he shouted, “We’ve got a runaway!” Moments later, he was found crushed between the locomotive and the lead car.
29. August 3, 1989, Fred Benich, 58, a loader in the shipping department warehouse at U.S. Steel in Gary, Indiana, with 10 years of job experience, was inspecting the interior bulkhead sliding door of a boxcar, when a bracket holding the door failed and the 1,500-pound door fell, crushing him.
30. December 20, 1989, B. F. Dubreucq, 44, an engineer with 1 year job experience at Bethlehem Steel’s Bar, Rod & Wire Division, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was part of a two-person crew who were in the process of pulling a string of empty molds. Dubreucq was acting as brakeman and was making a coupling. When the other employee noticed that Dubreucq was not on the step of the bumper car, he applied the brakes which caused the coupling to fail. Dubreucq died when the four wheels of the bumper car passed over him.
31. December 23, 1989, Bill Keizor, 45, a switchman with 1 year of job experience with Sheffield Steel in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, was attempting to couple two cars together when his head was caught between the cars.
32. January 4, 1990, Juan Gomez, 61, a maintenance worker at National Steel in Zug Island, Michigan, was on his way to the locker room to start work when he was struck by a locomotive on a foggy, rainy morning.
33. March 19, 1990, Leo Ford, 55, a switchman with 20 years of job experience at Bethlehem Steel, Burns Harbor, Indiana, was run over by a remote-controlled engine. He and a contractor went to get one of two rail engines that were in the yard. Brother Ford apparently went out to free a jammed switch, and was run over.
34. April 11, 1991, Robert Chandler, 49, a brakeman with 4 years of job experience at USS/Kobe in Lorain, Ohio, had thrown a switch and given the “okay” signal by radio communication to the engineer to proceed. A minute later, he was found under the lead car.
35. May 15, 1991, John Perkins, 48, a switchman with 12 years of job experience at Alcoa Aluminum in Alcoa, Tennessee, was attempting to put the brake on a runaway car when he fell off and was run over by the car.
36. August 6, 1991, Billy S. Roden, 55, a front-end loader operator with only 1 year of service at Gulf States Steel in Gadsden, Alabama, died when a wheel flange pinned his foot and he fell across the railroad track and was run over.
37. February 26, 1992, Joseph Modreck, 35, a conductor with 10 years of job experience with Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel in Steubenville, Ohio, was working with the engineer of a remote-controlled locomotive attempting to couple several gondola cars. He was crushed between the car and the loading dock.
38. March 16, 1992, James Buss, 48, an engineer with over 9 years of job experience at National Steel in Ecorse, Michigan, was operating a remote-controlled locomotive when a car derailed. This may have caused him to fall under the car he was riding.
39. July 7, 1992, Donald Tate, 44, a switchman with 8 years of job experience with Erman Corp. in Kansas City, Kansas, was riding on a locomotive crane that was moving a large piece of scrap with a clamshell bucket, when the crane bumped a car on another track. This caused a piece of scrap to fall, pinning him between the crane and the piece of scrap.
40. July 27, 1992, Darnell Dunn, 42, a weighmaster with 22 years of job experience with Schuylkill Metals in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was attempting to inspect the inside of a boxcar when the boxcar door fell. The top rail that the door travels on was missing.
41. January 30, 1993, David Miller, 29, an electrician with only one month of job experience at EMI Corp. in Erie, Pennsylvania, was in the process of unjamming a gondola car when the car broke free, knocking him down and running him over.
42. October 7, 1993, Robert Misner, 53, a locomotive switchman with 33 years of service at U. S. Pipe in Burlington, New Jersey, was riding on the front of a locomotive when it pushed a car into another car that was left on the track by Conrail. Upon impact, Misner fell between the locomotive and the car.
43. February 22, 1994, Lonnie Sloan, Jr., 61, an engineer with 26 years of service with Armco Steel in Ashland, Kentucky, was operating a remote-controlled switch engine while switching two foreign rail cars from a drag of eight cars. He was apparently struck by or caught between two of the rail cars.
44. October 5, 1995, Clyde Fielder, 30, a brakeman for Transtar Blackstone Group, an in-plant railroad company that operates in the U.S. Steel plant at Fairfield, Alabama, died when he was struck by a 30-foot high steel door while riding on the side of a railroad car that was entering a building. The door was blown closed by the high winds of a severe storm. He was
    a member of Local Union 1013 in District 9.
45. October 13, 1995, Barry Grove, 26, an engineer on a remote-controlled locomotive at Lukens Steel in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, died when he was pinned between two railroad cars that collided where two tracks came together. He had 8 years of company service and was member of Local Union 1165 in District 10.
46. January 9, 1996, Frank Huddy, 53, a solution man at LTV Steel in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, was killed while driving a forklift between two buildings while crossing the in-plant railroad tracks. His fork truck was struck by a moving rail car. The rail car was being moved by Aliquippa-Southern Railroad. He had 21 years of company service and was a member of Local Union 1211 in District 10.
47. February 28, 1997, Donna Sue Brusman, 28, a switchman on a remote-controlled train, at Newport Steel Corporation in Wilder, Kentucky, was fatally injured when she was crushed between two rail cars because of insufficient clearance. At the time of the fatal accident, she was training another employee in addition to her normal duties. Sister Brusman was a member of Local Union 1870 in District 8.
48. May 13, 1998, Larry D. Stubblefield, 40, an employee of USX in Gary, Indiana, was killed when he was struck by a remote-controlled train while passing between cars to observe where deflected iron from a ladle was going for safety reasons. Brother Stubblefield was a member of Local Union 1014 in District 7.
49. December 22, 1998, Harold Anthony, 51, an employee of LTV Corp. in East Chicago, Indiana, was killed when he was hit by three or four railroad cars after falling/jumping during a derailment. Brother Anthony was a member of Local Union 1011 in District 7.
50. September 8, 2000, David Jones, 25, a coke oven benchman at NKK Corp. (Japan); National Steel, Subsidiary; Granite City Steel Division in Granite City, Illinois, was seriously injured when he was caught between the hot car and a handrail. He died on October 8 from his injuries. He was a member of UFCW Local Union 50, which represents workers in the coke and ironmaking areas of the plant. The remaining bargaining unit employees at Granite City Steel Division are members of USW Local Union 67 in District 7.
51. November 22, 2000, Thomas Schwartzkopf, 39, a laborer at NKK Corp. (Japan); National Steel, Subsidiary; Granite City Steel Division in Granite City, Illinois, was killed when he was caught between a coal hopper and a Larry Car in the coke plant. Brother Schwartzkopf was a member of UFCW Local Union 50. The remaining bargaining unit employees at Granite City Steel Division are members of USW Local Union 67 in District 7.
52. December 17, 2001, Wanda Smith, 41, a press operator for Bethlehem Steel in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, was crushed to death when she was caught between the transfer car peel and plate on the press bed while performing the final flattening of plate products. Sister Smith was a member of Local Union 1165 in District 10.
53. August 7, 2002, Jerry Ridgeway, 50, an employee of Rail Link, the switching contractor that handles rail cars at the General Chemical River Corp.; Trona Mine in Green River, Wyoming, died after being pinned between two railcars. Bargaining unit employees at the mine are represented by Local Union 15320 in District 11.
54. 54. August 8, 2002, Harry M. Loew, 53, a train engineer at the International Steel Group plant in Cleveland, Ohio, was killed when he was pinned between two rail cars. The ISG plant was formerly part of LTV Steel, Local Union 2265. Brother Loew was a member of an independent union that had just voted to merge with the USW.
55. November 28, 2002, Randy Moehl, 47, a hot metal helper at the Bethlehem Steel Burns Harbor Plant in Chesterton, Indiana, was killed when he was struck by the last submarine car on a remote-controlled train he was operating near a basic oxygen furnace. Brother Moehl was a member of Local Union 6787 in District 7.
56. June 28, 2004, Edward Hall, 52, a hot metal operator for International Steel Group Inc. in East Chicago, Indiana, was killed by a torpedo car at the hot metal transfer station. He was a member of Local Union 1011 in District 7.
57. September 5, 2004, Roman Gomez, 21, an employee of St. Louis Auto Shredding Co. in E. St. Louis, Illinois, was crushed to death by a railroad tank car being cut up for scrap. He was a member of Local Union 4294-01 in District 7.
58. September 19, 2004, Andrew Kenmuir, 30, a welder for National Steel Car Ltd. in Hamilton, Ontario, was struck and killed by a hydraulic jack that had failed while he was working inside a gondola rail car. He was a member of Local Union 7135 in District 6.
59. September 23, 2004, Jeffrey Jackson, 41, an employee of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, Inc.; Mueller Company in Chattanooga, Tennessee, was struck by a rail car. He was a member of Local Union 3115 in District 9.
60. January 17, 2005, Kenneth Cesaro, 54, an employee of Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel in Steubenville, Ohio, was killed in a railroad accident. He was a member of Local Union 1190 in District 1.
61. February 3, 2005, David M. Prengel, 46, a switchman for United States Steel Corp. in Granite City, Illinois, was killed when a cargo train crushed him against the wall of a loading dock. He was a member of Local Union 1899 in District 7.
62. February 5, 2005, John Novick, 50, an employee of Allegheny Technologies, Inc.; Allegheny Ludlum Steel Div. in Brackenridge, Pennsylvania, was killed in a railroad accident. He was a member of Local Union 1196 in District 10.
63. June 6, 2005, Eddie Hicks, an employee of Arizona Chemical in Savannah, Georgia, was burned over 30% of his body when hot liquid spilled out of a railcar. He died January 16, 2006 due to complications. He was a member of Local Union 9-00795 in District 9.
64. February 27, 2006, Dennis Girard, an employee of Canadian National Railway Company in Quebec, Canada, was killed. He was a member of Local Union 2004B in District 5.
65. December 27, 2006, Brian Pluck, a brakeman, of MultiServ Corporation (a contractor for ArcelorMittal; Mittal Steel USA) in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, was fatally injured when he was assigned to move scrap cars from the scrap yard to the melt shop. The locomotive operator was in the cab. The locomotive was at the tail of a nine car drag consisting of gondola and bucket cars. Pluck attempted to board the first car in the drag, a bucket car. There were no stirrups or handrails on the side of this car, and the only practical way to board it is by standing on the cutting lever, in front of the car. It appears he may have slipped off and under the moving car while boarding it. Alternatively, he could have boarded it while it was stopped and slipped off after it began to move. The flat bed of the car provides a platform to stand on, but it is precarious since the bucket slopes outward and there are no secure handholds. It’s also possible that he stumbled under the wheels while walking beside the car. The accident occurred in the early morning and lighting in the area was poor, so Pluck might not have been visible even if there had been a clear line of sight from the locomotive.
66. January 12, 2008 Jason Belko, 23, an employee at ArcelorMittal; Mittal Steel USA in East Chicago, Indiana, was fatally injured while operating a locomotive which collided with a large truck. He was a member of Local Union 1011 in District 7.
67. May 23, 2010, Steve Mangona, 61, an employee of Unilever located in Hammond, Indiana, was fatally injured when he was struck when removing an agitator from a railcar. He was a member of Local Union 7-336 in District 7.
68. May 23, 2011, Jeff Lesidic, a contractor was fatality injured while working at Monongahela Iron in Monongahela, Pennsylvania, as he sat in his truck at a railroad crossing of plant entrance. Bargaining unit employees are represented by Local Union 3403 in District 10.
69. June 22, 2011, William Wise, 55, an employee of BP Oil Refinery located in Carson, California was fatally injured when he was crushed between a tank car and rail stop. He was a member of Local Union 675 in District 12.
70. July 14, 2011, Rick McColl, 53, an employee of CN Rail located in Toronto, Ontario was fatally injured while performing track maintenance, when he was suddenly struck by an oncoming passenger train. He was a member of Local Union 2004 in District 6.
71. January 30, 2012, Michael M. Shoemaker, 55, a conductor and member of UTU Local 1383, was fatally injured in a switching accident at U.S. Steel’s Gary Works. He was wedged between two freight cars. He was a 10 year employee, of Gary Railway, which is owned by U.S. Steel. Bargaining unit employees are represented by Local Union 2695 in District 7.
72. February 16, 2013, Randy Vayda, 50, an employee of ArcelorMittal located in Cleveland, Ohio was fatality injured when he fell off a railroad that ran over him. He was a member of Local Union 979 in District 1.
73. February 14, 2014, Frank Johnson, 62, an employee of Republic Steel located in Lorain, OH, was fatally injured while riding a train car when it derailed crushing him to death. He was a member of USW Local Union 01104 in District 1.
74. July 22, 2015, Clemit Long, 60, an employee of M & G Polymers located in Apple Grove, West Virginia, fell on to the railway and was crushed as he was run over by a railcar. He was a member of Local Union 00622L in District 8.
75. September 18, 2015, Velma Perkins, 51, an employee of Domtar Paper Company located in Ashdown, AR, was riding the lead car of a four-boxcar train being shoved into a warehouse when the lead boxcar struck a freestanding overhead building structure constructed over the track. The lead boxcar was six inches taller than the normal “Excess Height Car” that is typically used at the mill. The freestanding structure, called a “shed,” was heavily damaged and Sister Perkins was found deceased underneath the lead boxcar. The bargaining unit employees are represented by USW Local Union 13-01327, District 13.
76. March 5, 2017, Tim Dagon, 42, an employee of US Steel located in Granite City, Illinois, was severely injured when he fell off a moving railcar. He later died as a result of his injuries. He was a member of Local Union 3312 in District 7.
77. April 20, 2017, Roland Gaudette, 59, Jake Galeazi, 20, and Clement Reti, 61, all employees of Western Forest Products located in Woss, British Columbia were killed when eleven loaded railcars uncoupled and rolled down the track. The loaded railcars hit a derail causing them to temporarily go off the track before the speeding cars later jumped back onto the track. The loaded rail cars then continued down the tracks, gaining speed until they collided with occupied engineering equipment. Three workers were fatally injured and two others were seriously injured. The 11 loaded railcars and engineering equipment continued rolling downhill until encountering a left-hand curve where seven railcars derailed and stopped. Four loaded railcars and the engineering equipment continued downhill until encountering a right-hand curve, at which point the remaining cars and equipment derailed and came to a stop. Numerous factors were found in the cause of this accident including: the lead truck of the lead car derailed as intended, but was damaged by the cars, rendering it inoperative, and the derail had an insufficient number of spikes and was situated on deteriorated, rotting softwood ties; the reload staff had not been formally trained on the use of any visual check to verify the coupling; the coupler locking block had been previously repaired in a permissible configuration, but the timing of the coupling was delayed from this repair configuration, and did not drop fully into place. The three deceased workers and two seriously injured workers were members of Local Union 1-01937 in District 3.
78. October 31, 2017, Frank Leasure 62, an employee of AS America Inc. bda American Standard, located in Alliance OH, was leaving work, and waited for a westbound train to pass in heavy rain and winds. After the train passed, he began to walk towards the employee parking when he was struck by a hidden eastbound Norfolk Southern train. He was a member of Local Union 01538 in District 1.
79. April 2, 2019, Edwin Fleming, 49, an employee of Arcelormittal located in East Chicago, IN, was caught in a close clearance pinch point when the locomotive he was operating came in contact with rail cars on the adjacent track causing fatal injuries. He as was a member of Local Union 1010 in District 7.
80. August 17, 2020, Ronald Skaggs, 58, an employee of Pixelle located in Chillicothe, Ohio, was struck by and crushed by a boxcar coupled with a chlorate tanker car while riding on a locomotive. The boxcar and the chlorate tank were located on a runaround track, and the locomotive was located on the main track. He was a member of Local Union 731 in District 1.
81. April 2, 2021, Jermichael Collins, 37, an employee of ABC Coke located in Birmingham, Alabama, was riding on the side of a railcar, when he was crushed between the car he was riding and the stationary car on the adjacent track. He was a member of Local Union 12136 in District 9.
82. October 28, 2022, Richard Garza, 65, a contractor for PSC Group was fatality injured in a railcar accident while working at ExxonMobil located in Beaumont, Texas. Around midnight, PSC Group train 3832 struck and killed a train conductor while reversing southward inside the plant on Track 7. Before the accident, the conductor, part of a four-person PSC Group train crew, was protecting the switching movement of the train, which consisted of one locomotive and 19 tank cars, to place the rearmost car near the end of Track 7 for product loading. The bargaining unit employees are represented by Local Union 13-00243 Unit 02, District 13.
83. March 7, 2023, Louis Shuster, 46, a conductor for Norfolk Southern was fatality injured when he was struck by a vehicle while riding a shove move over a crossing at Cleveland Cliffs located in Cleveland, Ohio. The bargaining unit employees are represented by USW Local Union 979, District 1.
84. May 19, 2024, Gregory Budd, 43, a member working at Nutrien/Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. located in Rocanville, SK, Canada, was trying to dislodge a stuck railcar chute gate when he became entangled in a remote railcar “progressioner,” and was dragged underneath the railcar. The employees at this location are represented by USW Local Union 7916-**, District 3.
85. September 17, 2024, Luke Lumley, 44, a member working as a train engineer at Ontario Northland Transportation Commission located in North Bay, ON, Canada was fatally injured in an accident at the North Bay train yard. There were no witnesses, and the security cameras didn’t provide any usable footage of the accident. Brother Lumley ended up underneath the rail cars, and was discovered by a new coworker who was still being trained. The employees are represented by USW Local Union 1976C-43, District 6.
86. October 22, 2024, Karel Munoz Rosales, 38, a contractor working at HollyFrontier El Dorado Refining dba Holly Sinclair Refining, located in El Dorado, KS was fatally injured while operating an 18-wheeler pulling an empty flatbed trailer when he pulled up to a railroad crossing inside the refinery and began to cross. The truck stopped and he tried to reverse, but he was unable to get unstuck from the tracks when a southbound Burlington Northern Santa Fe train struck the passenger side of the semi. The employees at this location are represented by USW Local Union 241, District 11.
87. June 16, 2025, Micheal DeWaine Townsend Jr., 39, a member working at Transtar Transportation located in Fairfield, AL as a footboard yardmaster was fatally injured during switching operations at US Steel’s Flintridge Yard. The incident occurred during a shoving movement involving two remote-control locomotives and 11 railcars transitioning from track 1 to track 4. The footboard yardmaster, acting as the crew foreman, was riding on the ladder rungs on the west side of the lead railcar when he struck a stationary, bowed-out railcar on adjacent track 3 due to temporary close clearances created by the structural condition of the parked railcar and reduced track centerlines. The yardmaster had aligned the switch, instructed the remote-control operator (RCO) to begin movement via handheld radio, and at some point during the move, instructed the RCO to stop. The RCO placed the train into emergency braking, and shortly afterward, the injured yardmaster requested medical assistance over the radio. Emergency responders arrived quickly and transported him to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries en route. The crew at the time consisted of one RCO and two footboard yardmasters. Weather conditions were dark with intermittent showers and a temperature of 71°F.