Railroad Worker Killed in Sanford, FL Train Derailment

October 28th, 2013 |

SANFORD, FL – A railroad worker was killed on October 24, when a rail car filled with tons of gravel tipped over in a train derailment at a construction site for a new commuter rail station in Sanford, FL. Sanford is located in Seminole County, Florida in the eastern part of the state about 25 miles northeast of Orlando.

A railroad worker was killed when he was crushed by a rail car filled with tons of gravel in train accident and derailment in Sanford, FL on October 24, 2013.

The victim was identified as Christopher Putfark, 36 years old from Deltona, FL a neighboring community 11 miles to the north of the accident site.

The accident happened around 6:30 a.m. on October 24, 2013 when four rail cars loaded with gravel derailed and tipped over. Putfark, the conductor, was the spotter on the outside of one of the rail cars. He fell when the car tipped over and was crushed by the car and tons of falling gravel.

Map shows location of fatal train accident and derailment near State Route 46 and W Airport Bl in Sanford, FL on October 24, 2013.

The gravel was being scattered along the tracks as part of the construction of a new SunRail commuter station being built at the time.

There were 10 rail cars each with about 100,000 lbs of gravel being pushed by a locomotive. The last four rail cars derailed and overturned. Putfark was on the last car at the time of the accident.

A rescue effort was mounted but Putfark was pronounced dead at the scene.

The cause of the accident is unknown, but is currently under investigation.

Blog post by Gordon, Elias & Seely, a FELA lawyer and Florida railroad injury lawyer who publishes train accidents and FELA legal news from across the United States.