​On January 15, 2024, about 5:30 a.m., an Ohio Central Railroad signal maintainer was found deceased by the crew of Wheeling & Lake Erie freight train 218-15 on the main track of the Columbus and Ohio River Railroad east of the New Rumley Road highway-railroad grade crossing (grade crossing) near Jewett, Ohio. The train’s engineer saw the signal maintainer lying motionless between the rails and initiated a full service braking application. The train overran the signal maintainer before stopping but did not strike him. The conductor exited the train and walked back to find the signal maintainer under the fifth and sixth railcars. (See figure.) The train did not derail, and the crew was not injured.

​The employee’s manner of death was determined to be of natural causes, and the investigation did not identify any transportation safety issues.  We produced an investigation close-out memorandum, which can be found in our docket. ​​​