The Federal Railroad Administration is investigating a recent tragedy in another state. As most Connecticut railway workers know, railroad worker injuries often occur when equipment malfunctions or people do not do what they are supposed to do to protect worker safety on the job. Regarding the recent incident, there are many unanswered questions as to what may have caused a sudden explosion that resulted in a man’s death.

The 37-year-old Metra worker was conducting routine track repair alongside one of his co-workers when the accident occurred. The men were using welding equipment at the time. There were reportedly approximately 17 other workers in the area as well.

The two men were said to have been doing follow-up work on sections of track that had already been repaired within the past week. A spokesman for the company stated that the welding equipment the men were using had showed no signs of disrepair before that day. It is standard practice in this particular company to issue a safety stand-down following a serious accident so that every piece of welding equipment may undergo full inspection.

Sadly, the railroad workers injuries proved fatal for the 37-year-old. His co-worker was transported to a local medical facility with serious injuries. As with past Connecticut accidents, the ultimate outcome of the FRA’s investigation in this situation will definitely have an impact on the courses of action the recovering worker or family of the deceased worker might take in the weeks and months ahead regarding benefits or possible litigation.