NTSB Sets Forum on Railroad Trespassing
In 2013, 476 people were killed and 432 were injured in trespassing accidents, according to preliminary data from the Federal Railroad Administration.
The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a public forum March 24-25 about the dangers of trespassing on the railroad rights-of-way at its Washington, D.C. headquarters.
"While railroad tracks have long held a cultural resonance with Americans, featured in motion pictures, TV shows, music videos, and photography, they are private property. And they can be a deadly place. In 2013, 476 people were killed and 432 were injured in trespassing accidents, according to preliminary data from the Federal Railroad Administration," according to its announcement.
The forum will be chaired by NTSB Board Member Robert L. Sumwalt and will feature speakers who have been seriously injured by trains; people who from communities who have been affected; and railroad employee assistance program employees whose train crews have struck people on railroad property. The forum will draw on the expertise of railroads, regulators, and researchers, among others, to review the diversity of trespassing accidents and incidents and look at current and future prevention strategies.
On March 25, the forum will include a tour of Norfolk Southern's safety train at Union Station. More information about the forum can be found at http://www.ntsb.gov/trespassing.