CLEVELAND, February 10 — Stanley L. Watts, Secretary-Treasurer of BLET Division 354 (Kankakee, Ill.), was killed in the line of duty on February 8 following a switching accident at a Norfolk Southern yard in Kankakee, Ill.
Brother Watts, 43, has been a member of the BLET since February 1, 2006. He was a Norfolk Southern locomotive engineer who was set back working as a conductor at the time of the accident. He is survived by a wife and children.
He was working as part of a conventional switching crew consisting of an engineer, conductor and conductor-in-training, and had gone on duty at 6:00 a.m.
Kankakee is located on the Dearborn subdivision at MP KS103 and approximately 59 miles south of Chicago, Ill. The yard is a small flat switch yard with approximately 20 tracks.
The BLET Safety Task Force is on the scene as part of the accident investigation, along with officials from Norfolk Southern and the Federal Railroad Administration.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Brother Watts,” said Dennis R. Pierce, BLET National President. “On behalf of the entire organization, I extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Brother Watts.”
More information regarding funeral arrangements for Brother Watts will be made available as soon as possible.