Crossings, trespassing cause 95% of rail deaths

Highway-rail and trespassing accidents are responsible for more than 95% of all fatalities reported by U.S. railroads, the Federal Railroad Administration’s Office of Safety Analysis noted as it released preliminary accident/incident statistics for calendar 2010.

The report said trespassing caused 451 deaths last year, up 8.2% from 2009.

Highway-rail collisions caused 261 fatalities, an increase of 5.7%.

Train accidents caused eight fatalities in 2010, compared with four in 2009.

There were 20 employee fatalities last year, compared with 16 in 2009.

A total of 766 railroads of all sizes reported 11,151 accidents/incidents in 2010, virtually even with the prior year.

There were 130 train collisions, down 3.2% from 2009, and 1,297 derailments, down 4.4%. Yard accidents declined 1.8% to 981.

(This item amplifies and corrects an earlier one that erroneously attributed 11-month 2010 statistics to the full calendar year.)