An Alabama woman is suing Norfolk Southern, U.S. Pipe fabrication and others over the death of her husband in Bessemer last year.

Walter James Griffin III was a 43-year-old Hueytown man learning to become a train conductor when he was killed Dec. 13 in what was called by investigators at the time a “freak accident.”

Griffin was with a conductor on a Norfolk Southern train when they passed another train in Bessemer. Authorities said a metal beam protruding from the passing stationary freight car crashed through the window of the victim’s cab and struck him.

Griffin was pronounced dead on the scene at 12:30 a.m.

His widow, Sherita Fields, filed suit in Jefferson County Circuit Court back in January. According to the lawsuit, the beam struck Griffin in the head.

The lawsuit contends that both trains were owned by Norfolk Southern, and the gondola car and the freight train it was adhered with the pipe was unloaded and serviced at U.S. Pipe’s fabrication facility. It alleges negligence, saying that failure to inspect the cars led to Griffin’s death.

In an interview with DailyMail.com, Fields said she is seeking unspecified damages because “I just don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”

Attempts to contact Norfolk Southern and U.S. Pipe for comment were not immediately successful.

Last week, a Norfolk Southern train derailed in Calhoun County as the company CEO apologized before Congress and pledged millions of dollars to help East Palestine, Ohio after a Feb. 3 toxic train derailment there.

No one was injured in the Calhoun County derailment, and the 37 train cars weren’t carrying any hazardous materials threat.

The National Transportation Safety Board said last week it will begin looking into five significant accidents involving Norfolk Southern since December 2021.

A Norfolk Southern cargo train that derailed between Dayton and Columbus, Ohio earlier this month was heading from Bellevue, Ohio, to Birmingham with cars carrying liquid propane and ethanol.