A Metro employee whose job was to repair the system’s rail communication system was hit by a train Thursday, the latest accident for the beleaguered transit agency.
The 44-year-old communications technician was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries as of Thursday evening, according to Metro officials.
A six-car train headed outbound struck the man around 10:40 a.m. on the tracks between the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Braddock Road stations in Northern Virginia.
The man, whose name had not been released, has worked at Metro for almost 13 years. He helps repair equipment such as fire alarms and sensors that alert the central operations center about problems on the tracks.
Crews had been working in the area that morning, Metro officials initially said. But they could not say whether the man was working on the tracks, nor could they say what went wrong with their safety systems.
Metro is investigating the crash, but a National Transportation Safety Board spokesman said the federal oversight group is not conducting a formal investigation yet.
The incident caused delays on the Yellow and Blue lines for two hours as riders had to take shuttles to get around the area.
It was another blow to the transit system, which has been trying to improve safety procedures since a June train crash killed a train operator and eight riders, while injuring dozens more.
It was another blow to the transit system, which has been trying to improve safety procedures since a June train crash killed a train operator and eight riders, while injuring dozens more.
A Metro track spotter was killed last month by a machine spreading gravel near the Vienna/Fairfax Metro station.
The next week, a contractor was killed when he touched a live wire while working on an air compressor at a Metro bus garage, and two workers were sent to a hospital to be examined after a rail yard crash of two trains.
“It’s always a setback anytime you have an accident or anyone is injured,” General Manger John Catoe said after Thursday’s incident.
He said Metro officials have been meeting daily with workers to hear their ideas about safety and remind them they cannot rely on experience alone to keep each other safe. They need to follow every rule and safety regulation.
The agency has also been testing a device for track workers to wear that would make noise when a train gets close. But spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said Metro has not decided whether to use it because it doesn’t work in some areas and could make workers complacent.
