On April 9, 2025, about 1:15 p.m. local time, a Norfolk Southern Railway conductor on yard job AH-01 was seriously injured while performing switching operations at Norfolk Southern Railway’s Sheffield Yard in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The conductor was found on the ground near the north rail of track 5 in the receiving yard with severe injuries to his lower legs and feet. The Sheffield Yard supervisor called 911; emergency medical services arrived on the scene and airlifted the conductor to the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center.

​We determined that the probable cause of the April 9, 2025, Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) accident was the conductor’s noncompliance with NS’s operating rules. Contributing to the accident was NS’s inadequate oversight to validate that employees were routinely following operating rules established to promote safety while performing switching operations.​

​​​This accident highlights the importance of following operating rules and being aware of the risks associated with slack movement before fouling the track or equipment positioned on the track. This accident also emphasizes the importance of consistent management oversight to ensure the safety of their employees through their compliance with rules. Railroads can improve supervision of switching operations with techniques such as unannounced observations and reviews of radio transmissions. To prevent similar accidents, railroads can also require employes to stay aware of each other’s actions and confirm that others are paying attention and following rules.

The NTSB’s safety alert, Unexpected Movement of Unsecured Equipment on Railroad Track: Know the Risk of Fouling Track, issued on November 5, 2025, addresses the risk of fouling track without ensuring that all equipment on the track is stationary and properly secured against movement and cautions railroad employees that “slack action can lead to sudden and unexpected movement of railcars.”