MARTA maintenance worker hit by train in Atlanta undergoes amputation
MARTA sign
ATLANTA - A MARTA employee was reportedly hit by an oncoming train while performing maintenance work in a tunnel between the Arts Center and Lindbergh Center Stations in October.
The victim was part of a team of four tasked with repairing nonfunctional train approach lights. Under normal circumstances, those lights would have been activated once a train was detected on the track circuit.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the crew consisted of a watchman and three roadway workers. The group had notified train operators of the ongoing maintenance. However, the NTSB explained that does not prevent trains from entering their work area at track speed.
Diagram provided by the National Transportation Safety Board.
In an interview with the NTSB, the watchman whose job it was to warn the crew of approaching trains was focused on taking apart a light when a train exited the tunnel. The watchman also said he assumed the lights he saw going off were just a test by one of the other crew members who was trying to identify which ones were malfunctioning.
The employee who was hit underwent a below-the-knee amputation.
The NTSB investigation is ongoing.