BETHLEHEM, N.Y. — An employee crossing tracks at the Selkirk rail yards around midnight was killed when a freight train struck his ATV, officials said today.
John A. Williams, a mechanic with 13 years of experience at the railroad, was traveling an access road from one part of the yards to another when the New Jersey-bound freight train struck him at a crossing.
The 53-year-old Albany man was found under the engine, police said. Authorities pronounced him dead at the scene.
Crossings at the yards don’t have barriers to prevent people from crossing when a train passes, said Bob Sullivan, a spokesman for CSX Transportation, which owns the yards.
But Sullivan described the crossing where Williams died as “clearly marked,” apparently with stop signs.
Authorities had no word on what caused the accident.
“We are working closely with the Bethlehem Police and with the Federal Railroad Administration to thoroughly investigate and make sure we understand what happened here,” Sullivan said. “So, if there’s a lesson to be learned, we learn it.”
Authorities have not filed any charges.
Scores of rescue personnel and equipment converged on the accident scene in an area just off Bell Crossing Road.
Williams worked in the mechanical department, which handles inspections and repairs.
CSX took over the property in 1999 as part of its acquisition of ConRail.