Railroad employee dies after being pinned under rail car's wheel in 'tragic accident'
Written by Dana Branham, Breaking news reporter
DALLAS, TEXAS
Updated at 10:40 a.m.: Revised to include a statement from the railroad company.
A railroad employee died after being pinned under a rail car's wheel early Monday in South Dallas, officials said.
Dallas police and Union Pacific Railroad police responded to the 600 block of Corinth Street about 1 a.m. after another railroad worker found the victim pinned and called 911.
The coworker told police he had been in contact with the victim all night by radio, but the victim suddenly stopped responding. The coworker then went looking for the victim.
Dallas Fire-Rescue officials pronounced the employee, whose name has not been released, dead at the scene.
A spokesman for Dallas, Garland and Northeastern Railroad Inc. said in a statement that a conductor for the company died in a "tragic accident."
"Our hearts are with the employee's family, loved ones and colleagues, as well as emergency responders at the scene," the company said.
The railroad company said it is cooperating with authorities as the incident is "fully investigated."
Union Pacific spokesman Jeff DeGraff said railroad police responded because the incident happened near the company's tracks.
"It was not our train or our crew," DeGraff said. "A very unfortunate incident. It happened as they were moving trains in and out of their yard."
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DALLAS, TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) –
A railroad worker died after he was pinned underneath a train’s rail car wheel in South Dallas.
It happened as the train was maneuvering into a rail yard near Cockrell and Corinth streets. During the movement, one of the crew members sustained fatal injuries.
“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of this fellow railroader,” said Union Pacific Railroad spokesperson, Jeff DeGraff.
The rail yard is operated by the Dallas, Garland & Northeastern Railroad (DGNO), and the crew members were also from DGNO.
Police and National Transportation Safety Board officers responded to the call early Monday morning to the 600 block of Corinth Street.
The NTSB tweeted that they sent a team of three investigators to Dallas for a Northeast Railroad accident in which an employee died.
A witness told them he was in contact with the victim by radio all night while they worked.
When the victim stopped responding, the witness went to his work station and found the man pinned underneath the rail car wheel.
The witness immediately called 911 for help.
Dallas-Fire Rescue pronounced the employee dead at the scene.
The victim’s cause of death is unexplained at this time.