When employees are unsatisfied with their working conditions, they might quit or form groups to protest their employer. Rarely do we hear of workers stealing and purposefully crashing a train to prove a point. But that’s exactly what authorities say happened in Wyoming last week.
The Gillette News Record reports that a 22-year-old employee of a mining company allegedly stole a train from his employer after becoming upset with his supervisor’s repsonse over working conditions.
Authorities report the employee unhooked the train cars and drove the locomotive onto a main rail line. At that point, the man tells police that he called rail dispatch to advise personnel that he was going onto the main line.
Police report that the train passed through a construction area near a highway crossing. The employee tells authorities in an affidavit that he blew the train’s horn while passing the area and that there were “a lot of workers there.”
After traveling between 50 mph and 70 mph for approximately 13 miles, the man allegedly crashed into another trail located at a line junction.
According to the police affidavit, the man says he “wanted to see what it was like to hit something, so I hit at it.”
After the first crash, the man reportedly backed up and hit another train. Police estimate the speed of both collisions was under 10 mph.
The man then allegedly fled on foot before being apprehended by deputies. He reportedly told officers that he was having a bad day and trying to prove a point.
The Gillette News Record reports that the man was charged with reckless endangering, felony destruction of property and felony distraction, obstruction or removal of railroad track or fixtures.
Disgruntled employee steals train [The Gillette News Record]
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
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