NTSB Releases Initial Report on PATCO Contractor Fatalities
Written by David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief
NTSB
On Oct. 17, RT&S reported that a PATCO train killed two workers on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in New Jersey. The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report on this accident.
“On October 14, 2022, about 9:21 pm local time, Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO) train Westbound #1 struck and killed two contractor employees from JPC Group, Inc. on track 2 on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in Camden, New Jersey.[1] The train was traveling west at 33 mph and had 68 passengers aboard; 8 were in the lead car. At the time of the accident, conditions were dark and clear, and the temperature was 59°F.
“Before the accident, a team of contractors arrived at the bridge to perform concrete work during a scheduled track 2 outage. However, two contractors entered a close-clearance area on track 2 before track 2 was scheduled to be out of service, and Westbound #1 was able to enter their work area. The train’s engineer initiated emergency braking before striking the two contractors. The train’s head end stopped about 1.5 railcar lengths west of where the two contractors were struck.
”While on scene, National Transportation Safety Board investigators reviewed data from a bridge-mounted surveillance camera and images from the lead railcar’s inward-facing image recorder, reviewed PATCO train operations, inspected the involved railcars, and completed interviews. The National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation is ongoing. Future investigative activity will focus on regulatory oversight of roadway worker protection and PATCO’s roadway worker protection program.
“Parties to this investigation include the Port Authority Transit Corporation, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the Federal Transit Administration, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Delaware River Port Authority.
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[1] JPC Group, Inc. is a construction contractor with expertise in road and bridge construction based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Blackwood, New Jersey.”
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