FRA issues safety advisory in wake of rail fatality
Passenger killed after getting caught in the door of a departing train.
In the wake of a Nov. 21 incident in which a passenger died after getting caught in the doors of a train, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a safety advisory recommending that rail operators review their boarding and alighting procedures. The fatality occurred in Bradley Beach, N.J., as a New Jersey Transit passenger was alighting from a train and got caught in the doors. The man was dragged by the train and died from his injuries. The accident is being investigated by the FRA and state and local agencies. Cause and contributing factors have not been established. The FRA said the electric doors on the passenger car are supposed to sense an obstruction when closing, but added that this safety feature can be overriden by a bypass switch in the locomotive or control car.
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