Train Accidents
Quick Facts
Train Accidents Reference Guide
Causes
Collisions
Derailment
Mechanical failure
Negligence by operator
Dated tracks
Faulty crossings
Injuries
Death
Broken bones
Traumatic brain injury
Spinal cord
Burns
Related Topics
Burn Injuries
Railroad Accidents
Spinal Cord Injury
Traumatic Brain Injury
Product Liability
Accidents
Collisions
Derailment
Mechanical failure
Negligence by operator
Dated tracks
Faulty crossings
Injuries
Death
Broken bones
Traumatic brain injury
Spinal cord
Burns
Related Topics
Burn Injuries
Railroad Accidents
Spinal Cord Injury
Traumatic Brain Injury
Product Liability
Accidents
Train Accidents
Typically train accident or railroad accidents are considered common carrier accidents. Train operators and local railroads and other common carriers are held responsible if the accident resulted from a failure of the railroad to meet the high standard of care required. This means that train operators and railroads can be held responsible for even the slightest negligence.In addition to accidents and crashes railroads may be liable for injuries caused from any element within their control including slip and falls on railroad platforms, or an injury resulting in defective railroad crossing.
If you have been injured on a train or railroad it is essential that you contact a lawyer quickly as there are very short statutes of limitations in many states. Some railroads are owned or operated by government entities. In these cases, laws called "tort claims acts" may apply to injuries caused by the railroad. Tort claims acts usually require that the government entity be given notice of the injury within a very short time, and prohibit the filing of a lawsuit unless the proper notice is given.
If you or a loved have been injured in a train accident, please fill out the form at the right for a free case evaluation by a qualified personal injury attorney.
Train AccidentsRSS Feed
DC Metro Crash Kills 9, Injures More than 70
Jun 23, 2009 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP
At least 9 are dead following a rear-end crash of two Washington, DC Metro subway trains yesterday. The Metro crash, which occurred during rush hour, also injured more than 70 people, United Press International (UPI) is reporting.Officials are calling yesterday's Metro crash the worst in the system's 33 year history. The collision occurred when one train stopped short of the Fort Totten station - near the Maryland border - and was rammed from behind from the second train, UPI...
Metrolink Crash Lawsuits Filed
Dec 31, 2008 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP
Following the fatal Metrolink train crash that killed 25 people and injured 138, seven lawsuits have been filed. Officials said 220 people were aboard the commuter train on September 13, which was heading from Union Station in downtown Los Angeles to Ventura County, when it ran head-on into a Union Pacific freight train traveling in the opposite direction. According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Metrolink train’s engineer failed to stop at the final...
Ex-NTSB Chief Confirms Safety Standards Less for Buses
Oct 6, 2008 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP
While airline crashes tend to get more press, many travelers die in bus and train accidents as well. Take for instance the recent bus crash in August that killed 17 people who were traveling from Houston to a religious event, or the Atlanta bus accident last year that involved the Bluffton University baseball team or the 2002 Texas bus accident that involved Texas church campers. Jim Hall, formerly of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)—Hall chaired the NTSB from...
The Federal Railroad Administration Bans Cellphone Use by On-Duty Train Operators
Oct 3, 2008 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP
The Federal Railroad Administration issued an emergency order prohibiting all train operators from using cellphones while on duty. The new rule was issued yesterday and comes years after it first considered the matter, two weeks after the California Public Utilities Commission imposed the same restriction, and one day after the National Transportation Safety Board issued a preliminary report saying that text messages were sent and received by Metrolink engineer Robert M. Sanchez's...
Investigators Say Train Engineer Texting Seconds Before Crash
Oct 2, 2008 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP
Federal investigators just confirmed that the engineer of the commuter train that collided with a freight train in California was texting on his cellphone seconds before the crash. Twenty-five people were killed and over 130 were injured in the September 12 crash. Authorities continue to work to determine if the engineer was sending text messages at the time his train failed to stop for a red signal, which is what led to the deadly collision.Investigators are also working to draw...