Rail worker killed in accident
A railway worker died in a dramatic work incident yesterday evening (Thurs), it was announced today.A spokesman for Federal Railways (ÖBB) said the 46-year-old mans right foot was squashed by a cargo train during shunting work at Gnigl station in the province of Salzburg.”The man managed to send off a radio message to inform his workmates about what happened before he collapsed and died,” the ÖBB official explained. He also added that experts were trying to find out whether human error or a technical failure led to the incident.He stated: “Shunting is a physically exhausting task which must be carried out with the highest possible concentration. This kind of work always poses a certain amount of residual risk.”Station officials said the accident was not witnessed by anybody. Local media report today that the worker probably bled to death before colleagues and an ambulance arrived.The fatality sparks off memories of a horrific railroad work incident which occurred near Lanzendorf, Lower Austria, last August.A 44-year-old ÖBB workers arm was ripped off when a pole he was carrying was caught by a passing train. Surgeons at Viennas UKH Meidling Clinic managed to sew the limb back on. ÖBB and doctors did not reveal whether the man fully recovered from the accident.