More DC Metro Workers Killed In Preventable Accident

Two more DC Metro train workers were tragically killed on Tuesday, January 26, 2010 while doing track maintenance in Rockville, MD.  Based upon published reports in The Washington Post, the accident  was clearly preventable.  The two men, veteran Metro workers Jeff Gerrard, 49 and Sung Oh, 68, were crashed by a truck that was backing up on the tracks while the system was shut down for maintenance.  The truck was in reverse at the time, and reportedly was backing up without a "reverse alarm" otherwise common on construction site vehicles.  I have been blogging for months  that the unprecedented series of injuries and deaths on the DC Metro system in the last year alone is outrageous, and that more significant safety reforms need to be implemented without delay.  Sadly, this latest latest tragedy confirms the truth of that fact. Is a complete Federal takeover of the Metrorail system the only option?  I'm beginning to think so.  How many more deaths will it take for Metro officials to wake up?