Engineer Braked Before PATCO Train Crash That Killed 2 Workers: Officials

CAMDEN, NJ — A PATCO engineer activated the emergency brake before a westbound train fatally struck two contracted workers on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge the night of October 14, federal officials said.

An update by the National Transportation Security Board says the train's front end stopped about one and a half railcar lengths past the spot where Donato G. Fiocca and Victor R. Martins were hit.

The train was going 33 miles per hour, officials said, and conditions were dark and clear. Maximum authorized speed for the track is 40 miles per hour, officials said. Read more: Fatal PATCO Train Crash Into 2 Workers Under Federal Probe

The train's engineer "initiated emergency braking before striking the two contractors," the NTSB said, but did not say exactly how much time elapsed between the brake being activated and the fatal crash.

Fiocca and Martins, both of Pennsylvania, were contractors with JPC Group and members of the Cement Masons' & Plasterers' Union Local No. 592. A GoFundMe for their families has raised more than $24,000 as of Monday afternoon. JPC has offices in Philadelphia and Blackwood.

They were part of a team contracted for concrete work on Track 2, which was scheduled for an outage.

Officials say the two workers were on a "close-clearance" area of Track 2 before it was scheduled to be out of service, and the westbound train carrying 68 passengers hit them at about 9:21 p.m. local time in Camden. Eight people were aboard the lead car, according to the NTSB.

The NTSB will continue to investigate the crash, and said future investigative activity "will focus on regulatory oversight of roadway worker protection and PATCO’s roadway worker protection program." A preliminary report is expected in December.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration also is investigating JPC Group and the project’s general contractor, Carteret-based GC Skanska Koch Inc., a U.S. Department of Labor told Patch. Skanska is also conducting an internal review, according to the Cherry Hill Courier Post. OSHA has six months to release its report.