Autopsy: BART Workers in California Didn’t Follow Safety Rules

Autopsies conducted on two workers who were struck and killed by a Bay Area Rapid Transit train during a labor strike have revealed that the men did not follow the agency’s safety protocols.

The Contra Costa Times reported that a Contra Costa County coroner concluded last month that both 58-year-old Christopher Sheppard and 66-year-old Laurence Daniels had their backs turned when they were hit by the train on Oct. 19 while inspecting a dip in the tracks.

Under the rules BART had at the time, one of the inspectors was supposed to be serving as a lookout and watching for oncoming traffic.

Forensic Pathologist Arnold Josselson ruled the deaths an accident.

The transit agency has since ended its policy of requiring track workers to be solely responsible for their own safety.