Accident on a Handcar in Tucker County

 

Accident on a Handcar in Tucker County

In July 1895, a fatal accident occurred on the Dry Fork Railroad in Tucker County, West Virginia involving a runaway boxcar and a handcar. While the sources do not explicitly state the cause of the boxcar becoming loose, they note that four men who were not railroad workers were loading the car when it started moving down a grade. The men were unable to stop the boxcar, and it traveled approximately ten miles, reaching a speed of 30 miles per hour.

Tragically, the runaway boxcar collided with a handcar carrying six men. The impact ejected five of the men from the handcar. The sixth man initially stayed on the handcar but jumped off soon afterward and unfortunately broke his neck, resulting in his death. The runaway boxcar continued pushing the handcar down the track until it collided with a loaded gondola, at which point the handcar was destroyed. In total, two men were killed in the accident, two sustained fatal injuries, and two were seriously injured.

The sources do not explicitly say whether the handcar was in motion at the time of the accident. However, the text states that the boxcar overtook the handcar, which was moving at 12 miles per hour. This suggests that the handcar was likely in use and traveling along the tracks when the collision occurred.