(The following appeared on the Fayetteville Observer website on May 26.)
LUMBERTON, N.C. — An employee with CSX Railroad was killed Monday when he was crushed by tons of coal.
Robeson County Sheriff Kenneth Sealey said an unidentified 46-year-old man was killed just after 2 p.m. at Progress Energy’s Weatherspoon Plant at 491 Power Plant Drive.
The man, a conductor, was part of a two-person crew that was unloading the 97-car train.
He was unloading coal from a train when he either fell or was pulled down into the coal, Sealey said.
The man died on the scene and no other injuries were reported.
Sealey said the incident was still under investigation. The victim’s name was not released pending notification of family.
Four trains make deliveries to the plant each month, a Progress Energy spokeswoman said. Each train has roughly 100 cars, which in turn contains 100 tons of coal apiece.
The death is believed to be the first at the plant since a CP&L employee died while repositioning empty railcars in 2001, the spokeswoman said.
George F. Taylor, 56, of Lumberton died Jan. 30, 2001, after being struck by a train. He had worked at the plant since 1968.
CP&L is a subsidiary of Progress Energy.