A CSX employee was struck and killed by one of its trains Monday evening at the Seagirt Marine Terminal in the Port of Baltimore, according to a Maryland Transportation Authority Police spokesperson.
MDTA police officers and the Baltimore City Fire Department responded to the terminal around 8:15 p.m. Monday, the spokesperson wrote in an email. The employee was pronounced dead at the scene by medics, the statement said.
A line of thunderstorms swept through the Baltimore area Monday night, though it’s unclear if the stormy weather contributed to the accident.
Rail into the terminal was suspended pending an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. NTSB is the lead investigative agency on the case, state officials said.
An NTSB spokesperson said Tuesday afternoon that two investigators were on the scene Tuesday as part of the fact-finding part of the investigation.
CSX confirmed the accident in a Wednesday statement.
“CSX mourns the loss of this employee and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones,” the rail company wrote in the statement. “The safety of our railroads is CSX’s highest priority. This incident will be investigated to determine exactly what happened.”
The employee was a conductor trainee, according to an email sent by a CSX sales manager to brokers across the country and reviewed by The Baltimore Banner.
“This event is a sobering reminder of the dangers faced in our work and a reminder to stay vigilant when it comes to performing our jobs safely,” it said.
Seagirt is operated by Ports America Chesapeake under an agreement with the Maryland Port Administration, according to an informational website. The email said some traffic would be affected by the accident.
Seagirt Marine Terminal is operated by Ports America Chesapeake under a public-private partnership with the Maryland Port Administration, according to the company’s website. The company said on its website that the terminal is “one of the fastest and most efficient terminals on the U.S. East Coast,” handling more than 1 million TEU in Baltimore in 2018. The company also said it was committed to “zero harm,” adding, “We are dedicated to identifying and eliminating risks and reinforcing safe behavior to protect employees, labor, customers, visitors and cargo as well as to honor our obligation to being good stewards of the environment.”
This story has been updated to reflect that rail into the terminal was suspended, but the entire terminal was not closed.
