MTA construction flagger struck by train, killed in the Bronx while working on subway tracks
An investigation is now underway after an MTA worker was killed on the job Thursday night after she was struck by a train.
It happened near the 161st Street-Yankee Stadium subway stop.
The MTA says Moet McCullum, 41, was working as a construction flagger, tasked with notifying passing trains that workers were on the subway tracks.
She was on the tracks near River and East 161st streets when she was struck by a D train just after 11:30 p.m., officials say. McCullum was rushed to a local hospital, where she later died.
TWU Local 100 leadership said at a briefing Friday that workers inside the train and on the tracks were both in compliance; the D train was given the go-ahead to proceed on the tracks before McCullum was fatally struck.
It remains unclear what led to the miscommunication.
"At transit, it is a big family, and so, you know, to lose one, it hurts at its core," MTA President Demetrius Crichlow said.
The incident is now under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, the New York City Transit Joint Safety Task Force and the Local 100 safety team.
"We will work with every agency to find the cause of this tragic accident," TWU Local 100 President John Chiarello said. "And not only was a life lost, but the train crew that were involved will be traumatized for the rest of their lives by this absolute nightmare. Our hearts go out to them."
McCullum had only been on the job for about 11 months, the MTA says. She leaves behind three children, her mother and a twin sister. McCullum's sister is an MTA conductor with 10 years on the job.
