Widow sues Norfolk Southern after husband decapitated while training to be a conductor

Walter James Griffin III, 43, was killed in the early morning hours of Dec. 13, 2013, in Bessemer, Alabama.

Griffin's widow, Sherita Fields, filed the suit against Norfolk Southern, U.S. Pipe Fabrication and others for wrongful death in January.

Attorneys for Griffin’s family alleged in the suit that the railway is at fault for not properly inspecting the train and freight car — both of which were owned by Norfolk Southern.