On January 31, 2021, about 12:40 p.m. local time, a Union Pacific Railroad (UP) employee was struck by a railbound track maintenance tamper (TMT) on a main track near Vail, Arizona. [1] The employee was airlifted to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries. The employee was part of a tie gang comprising about 50 people and 23 pieces of equipment, performing crosstie renewal and track surfacing. [2]
- (a) Visit ntsb.gov to find additional
information in the public docket for this NTSB
investigation (case number RRD21LR007). Use the CAROL
Query to search safety recommendations and investigations.
(b) All times in this report are local time unless otherwise noted. (c) A track maintenance tamper (TMT) is a machine
equipped with hydraulic tools designed to lift individual crossties into proper
vertical and horizontal position while vibrating tools (workheads) pack ballast
under the crosstie to ensure it remains in position.
- Track surfacing raises the track structure to obtain the desired track geometry. This work is primarily accomplished using specialized railroad work equipment.
The probably cause of the accident was the operator’s failure to stop the track maintenance tamper’s forward movement due to his panicked state before striking the ground worker.
