​On April 4, 2025, about 9:17 a.m. local time, a conductor was fatally injured during switching operations at the BNSF Railway Automotive Distribution Facility, located on the BNSF Stockton Subdivision in Richmond, California. The switching crew was performing a shoving movement with two locomotives and five railcars on yard track 405 when the conductor became pinned between two railcars that the switching crew was attempting to couple together.

​We determined that the probable cause of April 4, 2025, conductor fatality in Richmond, California, was the conductor going in between the railcars without the crew establishing proper protection. Contributing to the accident was the ineffective communication between the engineer and the conductor while performing switching operations.   

​During switching operations, clear, timely, and unambiguous communication is the most critical and reliable control available to rail crews to prevent incidents. Strengthening how crews communicate—by clearly stating intentions, verifying understanding through repeat‑backs, and continuously maintaining shared situational awareness—greatly reduces exposure to hazards. 

This incident also highlights the critical importance of adherence to the prohibitions against working between equipment without safety protection. Two recent NTSB investigations highlighted the risk associated with rail employees working between equipment. On March 11, 2025, a Hulcher Services Inc. assistant division manager trainee sustained serious injuries during a rerailing operation at the Port of Stockton in Stockton, California, and on June 26, 2025, an R.J. Corman conductor in Guthrie, Kentucky, was seriously injured while attempting to couple railcars. 

To call attention to risks posed when railroad employees foul the track near unsecured equipment, the NTSB published a safety alert in November 2025 discussing the importance of following operating rules related to moving between equipment.