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Engineer nearly kills other crew gets job back.
Author: Smitha Wesson
Date: 08-05-2013 - 19:29
In the hot summer month of July 2006, in the very early hours of the morning at a siding called Kismet on the BNSF's Stockton Subdivision, the engineer of the eastbound M-RICBAR (Richmond, Calif to Barstow Calif. manifest freight), managed to run the block at the east switch. The cab camera video of a head on collision has been seen on YouTube for years, with the two crew members of the victimized westbound cement train train permanently disabled, one of which is in perpetual awful shape.
Although the engineer of the eastbound train claimed the signal was clear, this assertion was later proved to be overwelmingly false. With nearly than ten years of experience at the throttle on the district, and having hired out with the Santa Fe in 1992 in the mechanical crafts, engineer Alan Jackson made the near fatal error of losing attention in the early morning sunrise. Did he and his Conductor and Brakeman fall asleep? Two crewmembers nearly dead, five million dollars in wreckage, five lives changed forever.
To his defense, the difficulty of staying alert and attenive during the spread of hours his crew was on duty (22:00 on duty at Richmond, all night dragging ass down the valley) is often a nightmare of difficulty in such a monotonous operation. Should we be so lucky to survive our careers without such a mishap is tribute to a higher power and a steeled dedication to our craft.
Although Mr. Jackson was ultimately fired for the raft of rules violations that following August, the results of the carrier's piss poor and ill-advised investigation has led to several appeals, both by the carrier to keep Mr. Jackson off the property, and the BLE&T trying to get his job back.
The last dance of the lawyer boys has finally resulted in Public Law Board ruling 7550, BNSF Carrier File No. 76-06-0043D, PLB Case No.1, Award 01, NMB Code No. 173 signed June 20, 2013 giving Mr. Jackson his employment back with BNSF, pending rules recertification. No back pay was awarded. He is currently on Board 5, Reinstated.
See the westbound cab camera footage:
Kismet wreck, MRICBAR runs east switch
Although the engineer of the eastbound train claimed the signal was clear, this assertion was later proved to be overwelmingly false. With nearly than ten years of experience at the throttle on the district, and having hired out with the Santa Fe in 1992 in the mechanical crafts, engineer Alan Jackson made the near fatal error of losing attention in the early morning sunrise. Did he and his Conductor and Brakeman fall asleep? Two crewmembers nearly dead, five million dollars in wreckage, five lives changed forever.
To his defense, the difficulty of staying alert and attenive during the spread of hours his crew was on duty (22:00 on duty at Richmond, all night dragging ass down the valley) is often a nightmare of difficulty in such a monotonous operation. Should we be so lucky to survive our careers without such a mishap is tribute to a higher power and a steeled dedication to our craft.
Although Mr. Jackson was ultimately fired for the raft of rules violations that following August, the results of the carrier's piss poor and ill-advised investigation has led to several appeals, both by the carrier to keep Mr. Jackson off the property, and the BLE&T trying to get his job back.
The last dance of the lawyer boys has finally resulted in Public Law Board ruling 7550, BNSF Carrier File No. 76-06-0043D, PLB Case No.1, Award 01, NMB Code No. 173 signed June 20, 2013 giving Mr. Jackson his employment back with BNSF, pending rules recertification. No back pay was awarded. He is currently on Board 5, Reinstated.
See the westbound cab camera footage:
Kismet wreck, MRICBAR runs east switch
Engineer nearly kills other crew gets job back.