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PATCO train that killed 2 workers was on a track that was supposed to be shut down, federal agency says

Victor Martins and Donato Fiocca, members of the Cement Masons’ & Plasterers’ Union Local No. 592 in Philadelphia, were fatally struck by a westbound train Friday night on the Ben Franklin Bridge.

Emergency personnel on the Camden side of the Ben Franklin Bridge where a westbound PATCO train hit and killed workers on Oct. 14.
Emergency personnel on the Camden side of the Ben Franklin Bridge where a westbound PATCO train hit and killed workers on Oct. 14.Read moreElizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

Two union subcontractors who were struck and killed by a PATCO train Friday night on the Ben Franklin Bridge were on a track that was supposed to be shut down for planned concrete work, according to a federal agency investigating the accident.

The men, identified as Victor Martins and Donato Fiocca by their union, the Cement Masons’ & Plasterers’ Union Local No. 592, were on the bridge when a westbound PATCO train hit them around 9:20 p.m. The men were pronounced dead at the scene. None of the 68 passengers on the train were injured.

“There was a planned outage on track 2 for contract concrete work. Preliminary information indicates that at the time of the accident, track 2 had not been taken out of service when the contractors entered the bridge in a close clearance area,” said Jennifer Gabris, spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board, in an emailed statement Wednesday

The NTSB is investigating the accident, Gabris said.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration also is investigating. An agency spokesperson said the men were employed by JPC Group Inc. in Philadelphia, which was a subcontractor for GC Skanska Koch Inc. of Carteret, N.J.

A representative for JPC Group could not be reached for comment.

Skanska said in an emailed statement that the company is conducting an internal investigation.

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident, and our thoughts and prayers are with their families during this time,” the company said.

A GoFundMe has been established for the families of the two men. Fiocca was a 25-year member of the union, and Martins an eight-year member, according to the GoFundMe page, which the union is promoting. Fiocca, 53, was married with four children, according to an online obituary. Martins, 55, was married with three children, according to an online obituary.

The Courier-Post reported that workers were involved in a long-term bridge rehabilitation project due to continue through December 2024.

Mike Williams, spokesperson for the Delaware River Port Authority, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. The DRPA runs PATCO and the bridge.

Engineering News-Record, which first reported the NTSB preliminary findings on Tuesday, said the DRPA is conducting its own investigation of the accident.