Injured Rail Worker Hopeful For New Safety Rules After 5 Years
Listen
It’s taken five years, but injured railroad worker Dwight Hauck sees victory at hand. Washington lawmakers are on the verge of requiring new safety standards for private transport companies that shuttle rail crews between trains.
On March 23, 2011, union railroader Hauck nearly lost his life. He was the lone survivor of a crash in a rail yard in Kelso, Washington.
“I don’t remember anything at all,” Hauck said.
Two other passengers and the driver were killed instantly. The driver worked for a private company the railroad hired to transport its crews. It was just another in a string of crashes nationwide involving rail crew transport shuttles.
Now these crew haulers as they’re known may soon face new regulations in Washington state.
“This is truly, I think, a compromise,” Republican state Sen Curtis King said on the floor of the Washington Senate this week. He was touting a bipartisan deal five years in the making to regulate crew haulers.
“Both sides got something and both sides gave things up,” King said.
The van companies agreed to be regulated including vehicle inspections, tracking of accidents, driver standards and drug testing.
The railroad workers union agreed to accept one-tenth of the uninsured and under-insured driver coverage it wanted the shuttle companies to carry.
Hauck is permanently disabled with a brain injury from the 2011 crash. He said the new safety regulations are a long time coming.
“I think it’s great that our brothers and sisters are going to have a little better, maybe, drivers or a little bit more protection,” he said. The bill now returns to the Washington House for final approval before it goes to the governor for his signature.
Related Stories:
Celebración del Cinco de Mayo este fin de semana en el centro de Washington
Las celebraciones del Cinco de Mayo comenzaron el viernes en el centro de Washington. Este fin de semana habrá diferentes actividades para entretener y educar a la comunidad sobre la cultura hispana. Continue Reading Celebración del Cinco de Mayo este fin de semana en el centro de Washington
Cinco de Mayo celebration this weekend in Central Washington
Cinco de Mayo events begin Friday in Central Washington, and different activities are scheduled this weekend to entertain and educate people about the Hispanic culture. Continue Reading Cinco de Mayo celebration this weekend in Central Washington
Kaiser Permanente announces data breach affecting 13.4 million
That information includes IP address and search terms used in the company’s health encyclopedia. Continue Reading Kaiser Permanente announces data breach affecting 13.4 million