ESCONDIDO : Death of Railroad Conductor Probed
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Federal, state and Santa Fe Railway officials Tuesday tried to determine the cause of a train-switching accident in Escondido in which a conductor was killed.
Herbert C. Blanthorne, 58, was killed instantly when he fell beneath the cars being switched from one track to another at 1:05 p.m. Monday, Santa Fe spokesman Mike Martin said.
A brakeman and an engineer helping Blanthorne switch the cars did not see the accident, Martin said.
Blanthorne had been walking alongside three empty freight cars when he disappeared from view. When he failed to respond to the co-workers’ radio calls, they went to investigate and found his body, Martin said.
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