Norfolk Southern Railway sues engineer in 2015 Washington County derailment

Norfolk Southern Railway has filed a federal lawsuit against a locomotive engineer that the company alleges negligently caused a 2015 head-on collision and derailment in Washington County.

Attempts to reach the engineer, Frederick J. Clark, of Gray, were unsuccessful Monday.

Train 208 was traveling east from Macon to Savannah on Aug. 7, 2015.

A dispatcher issued permission for the eastbound train to proceed from Tennille East to Wadley -- a Jefferson County town about 30 miles away -- after westbound train G23 arrived at Tennille East, according to the suit. The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia on Thursday.

Clark caused train 208 to leave before the other train arrived, the suit alleges.

About five miles past Tennille East, train 208 collided head-on with train G23 about 1:15 p.m. Three locomotives and seven rail cars were derailed.

A Norfolk Southern spokesman declined comment Monday, citing the pending litigation.

On the day of the crash, a railroad spokesman said four crew members were taken to area hospitals after the derailment.

To contact writer Amy Leigh Womack, call 744-4398 or find her on Twitter@awomackmacon.

This story was originally published March 21, 2016 at 4:46 PM with the headline "Norfolk Southern Railway sues engineer in 2015 Washington County derailment ."