FELA Lawyer News Blog

KEARNY, NJ — A New Jersey Transit worker died after he was struck by a wayward locomotive in a railroad maintenance yard in Kearny, New Jersey early Monday morning, June 1, 2010 around 3:30 a.m. The railroad worker who was killed was identified as 63-year-old NJ Transit worker, Greg Kastner.

Kastner’s job was to help shuttle engines in the Meadows Maintenance Facility which is located in Kearny, New Jersey, about 5 miles just outside New York City. The Meadows Maintenance Facility yard is located  off the Newark Turnpike (NJ 7), adjacent to the Conrail South Kearny yard.

Kearny is located in the northern part of the state, about 3 1/2 miles northeast of Newark, about 7 miles northwest of Jersey City, about 13 miles south of Paterson, about 9 miles northeast of Elizabeth, about 29 miles northeast of Edison and about 67 miles north of Toms River.

The fatal accident was apparently caused by a locomotive whose brakes had failed to engage.

Officials said Kastner had just completed fueling his engine and was walking back to another locomotive, when he was hit by the locomotive.

Kastner was a railroad employee at NJ Transit for seven years. Officials said he was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident after efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.

The NJ transit agency is conducting an investigation with the Federal Railroad Administration in order to determine the cause of the fatal accident. According to preliminary reports, officials said that the locomotive’s braking system had not been engaged at the time of the accident.

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Published by fela lawyer Gordon, Elias & Seely, LLP

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