On September 10, 2020, at 5:00 a.m. local time, a New York City Transit (NYCT) employee was found unresponsive between two tracks in the 239th Street Yard in Bronx, New York. The employee was found by an NYCT car inspector who then radioed management of the unresponsive employee between tracks 52 and 53. The unresponsive employee was identified as a transit car cleaner (CTA). Emergency medical services personnel were notified, arrived on the scene, and declared the CTA employee deceased.
The CTA was found lying near a light pole and several current collector assemblies mounted on nearby rail transit cars. Current collectors draw power from an electrified rail (third rail) on NYCT’s transit system, and, should any current collector from a train be in contact with the third rail, then all assemblies on every car, even those not in contact with the rail, have the potential to be energized by electric current. The nearest current collector was about 12 inches from the light pole. Electric current collectors are used by trolley buses, trams, or electric locomotives to carry electrical power from overhead lines or electrical third rails to the electrical equipment of the vehicles.
The CTA was found wearing an NYCT-issued reflective safety vest and safety boots and was in possession of his assigned cleaning equipment. His cleaning equipment and radio were observed laying in the immediate area he was found. The radio was in the on position; however, the battery was depleted. The CTA’s flashlight and red flags were not accounted for.
Tracks 52 and 53, located in NYCT’s 239th Street Yard, were occupied by several transit cars at the time of the accident. Upon review of the train movement records in the yard and employee interviews, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) learned there were no movements in the area on tracks 52 and 53 between 12:30 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. the day the CTA was found. In interviews, employees told investigators that they were aware of clearance issues between tracks 52 and 53 created by light poles when trains are stored on both tracks.
On the day of the accident, there were periods of light and heavy rain throughout the night and early morning hours.
The probable cause of this employee fatality was electrocution as a result of contact with an electrified transit car current collector that likely occurred when the employee walked between a light pole and a stationary transit car.
