NTSB: 2 Dead BART Workers in California Charge of Own Safety

National Transportation Safety Board investigators say under Bay Area Rapid Transit rules, the two track workers who were killed in a recent accident were responsible for their own safety.

James Southworth, the NTSB’s lead investigator, said at a briefing that the workers had requested approval from the control center to go onto the tracks.

Under BART’s rules, one of the two workers was to be a lookout positioned outside the right of way.

Southworth says the train’s wheels showed signs of flattening from when the operator used the emergency brake in an attempt to avoid the fatal accident.