Train Derailments / Train Accidents
Passenger trains transport millions of persons everyday across the country into and out of cities and across state lines. These passenger trains are operated by commuter lines as well as Amtrak. According to it’s website, Amtrak alone serves more than 500 destinations in 46 states with over 21,000 miles of routes. Last year Amtrak transported almost 29 million passengers.
Unfortunately railroad and train accidents are all too common. Examples of railroad accidents include:
- train derailments
- trains hitting tractor-trailers or cars at crossings
- trains hitting pedestrians
- collisions with other trains
According to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Office of Safety Analysis, there were 2375 train accidents in 2008 in this country. Tragically, 26 persons were killed and 278 were injured in those train accidents. According to the FRA, the primary causes of these train accidents were:
- human factors
- equipment defects
- track defects
- signal defects
Doran & Murphy has represented injured railroad passengers and railroad employees from different parts of the country for 25 years in cases against Amtrak as well as commuter railroads. Our successful track record includes a structured settlement in excess of $9,000,000 for the family of an elderly couple who died in a train derailment. Our lawyers have extensive experience in investigating the causes of these often preventable train accidents and train derailments. This thorough investigation process translates into significant compensation for our clients and is critical in establishing the railroad’s liability for the injury or death. It is important to remember that the law does not make the railroad responsible for all injuries under all circumstances. Rather, the law requires that the railroads take reasonable actions to prevent injury and death. Therefore, careful investigation must be done to examine whether there was any failure to use reasonable care on the part of the railroad, such as any conductor negligence, engineer negligence, train defect, engine mechanical failure, or railroad track defects.
The law imposes certain legal obligations on common carriers such as railroads. These obligations can vary from state to sate and therefore choosing legal counsel experienced in railroad litigation is critical.
