On May 19, 2021, about 2:15 p.m. local time, the conductor of a Pan Am Railways (PAR) train, Local D01, was fatally injured while performing switching operations near the SubCom Industries (SubCom) facility in Newington, New Hampshire. The conductor was pinned between two couplers while attempting to couple a pair of unbraked railcars to the stationary train. The conductor was transported to a local hospital where he subsequently died from his injuries.
We determined that the probable cause
of the May 19, 2021, Pan Am Railways employee fatality was the conductor’s failure to
adhere to Pan Am Railways safety rules prohibiting movement between unbraked,
moving equipment during gravity coupling, which resulted in the conductor being
pinned between railcars.
