A construction manager has been charged after two workers were struck and fatally injured by a train at a railway crossing due to his alleged negligence.
According to the indictment, the defendant worked as a construction manager for a company, where he was responsible for supervising subcontractors hired by the firm. In February 2021, the main contractor signed an agreement to reconstruct a road section near Debrecen, with the work carried out by subcontractors. The project also included the reconstruction of a railway crossing, for which a temporary track closure was ordered. Workers were explicitly warned that it was strictly forbidden to remain within the three-metre danger zone alongside the tracks.
After the reconstruction, additional safety features had to be installed at the crossing. Seeking a quick solution, the construction manager allegedly instructed one of the subcontractors by phone to complete the work and later inspected the site with the subcontractor’s manager. Despite the track closure having already been lifted, the defendant reportedly told the subcontractor’s representative that no trains were expected on that section of the railway.
At the defendant’s request, three employees of the subcontractor began work at the railway crossing on the morning of 2 November 2023, installing a steel pipe barrier. They started digging a hole and, to gain better access, also excavated on the railway side of the guardrail. One worker returned to the vehicle to retrieve a pickaxe while the other two continued digging. Although they had high-visibility protective clothing, all three had left it in the vehicle and were working in dark clothing, which blended into the surroundings behind the protective fence separating the railway from the road.
While the two workers were digging inside the restricted danger zone, a passenger train approached the crossing at 76 km/h. The train struck the workers and pinned them against the guardrail. Both men suffered severe injuries and later died from injuries related to the accident in December 2023.
The prosecution alleges that the construction manager violated multiple safety regulations by failing to notify the railway company about the work, failing to obtain entry permits for the workers, and failing to request mandatory railway supervision for work carried out within the danger zone. As a result, no speed restriction was introduced on the railway line, and the train driver was not informed that extra caution was required when approaching the crossing.
The Debrecen District Prosecutor’s Office has charged the construction manager with negligent endangerment committed in the course of employment resulting in death. Prosecutors have asked the Debrecen District Court to impose a suspended prison sentence and a fine.
The police photo released with the case shows the hole the workers were digging at the time of the accident.
(ugyeszseg.hu)
