Two BART workers were killed after being struck by a moving BART train Saturday afternoon. The victims, whose names have not yet been released, were conducting inspections on a stretch of track north of the Walnut Creek BART station. Although BART workers were on strike Saturday, some BART trains were being moved around the system for maintenance.
The accident occurred at around 2pm this afternoon, when an eastbound four-car train struck the pair near Jones Road and Pimlico Drive. According to the transit agency, the train “was on a routine maintenance run with an experienced operator at the controls. At the time of the accident the train was being run in automatic mode under computer control.” However, a BART radio transmission indicates that the driver was being directed over the radio. "Keep coming, keep coming, keep coming," repeats the female voice, followed by "Slow down. Stop! Stop! Stop!"
According to BART, the victims had "extensive experience" around moving trains. However, according to safety policy one employee is supposed to watch for oncoming trains while the other conducts the track inspection.
One of the workers was a member of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3993, a union involved in the strike. Worker safety has been one of the issues raised by the striking unions. The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 has stated that it will not picket tomorrow “out of respect for the families involved.”
