Train Accidents

January 12, 2010

Woman Critically Injured in Spokane Valley Train Accident

A 44-year-old woman suffered critical injuries in a Washington train accident after her minivan was broadsided at a crossing by a train traveling at 48 mph. According to an Associated Press news report, the woman had just dropped off a child in an elementary school when the accident occurred. She was transported to a local hospital.

According to the Federal Railroad Administration, in 2006 alone, train accidents caused 909 fatalities and 8,244 injuries nationwide. Railroad employees, passengers in other autos at railroad crossings, passengers aboard trains, or pedestrians walking on or near railroad tracks are among those injured in these dangerous train accidents. Sometimes, these collisions happen because of the fault of other drivers. But very often, these accidents occur due to the lack of safety features at these street-level train crossings or when the safety features such as crossbars or lights fail to work at the crossings. These types of accidents could also occur as a result of the train operator’s error.
Continue reading

October 22, 2009

Woman Killed by Amtrak Train

By Kirk Bernard

A recent seattletimes.nwsource.com article serves as a reminder of how important it is to use extreme caution when in close proximity to train tracks, whether you are in an automobile, riding a bike, or, especially, a pedestrian on-foot. According to the report, a woman was killed after being hit by an Amtrak train that was on its way to Seattle from Portland. The train accident in Washington occurred one mile north of Sumner on September 29, 2009 at 9:20 p.m. at a private train crossing along Burlington Northern property. The identity of the woman has not yet been released due to the accident still being under investigation.

It is never the best idea to walk along train tracks, yet this wrongful death accident marks the 10th death this year of a person trespassing on Burlington Northern property. Even if it were the 1st death, any loss is one too many. This recent accident raises the question as to what (if anything) is being done to deter trespassers at this location so that the risk of death and injury can be curbed.

Train accidents can occur for a variety of reasons ranging from operator negligence to train or track part failure. Whatever the cause of a train accident, negligence in some form is often to blame in which those who suffer as a result have legal rights that deserve to be protected. When an innocent victim is killed in a train accident, surviving family members may be able to hold those responsible liable for their loss and any financial consequences that result from the death. In such cases, family members may want to consult with a skilled Seattle train accident attorney to find out if they qualify to receive such compensation. It may also be in the best interest of an individual injured in a train accident to seek legal counsel as well, considering that train accident injuries can lead to steep medical bills, and even years of physical therapy and rehabilitation treatment.
Continue reading

September 28, 2009

Two Injured and Hospitalized after Sound Transit Collision

By Kirk Bernard

Saturday afternoon, two people went to Harborview Medical Center after their car hit a Sound Transit train. The collision happened at Martin Luther King Junior Way South and South Kenyon Street.

Seattle Fire Department spokeswoman Dana Vander Houwen said that their injuries were not life-threatening. The auto accident in Washington happened at about 3:20 p.m.

Vander Houwen also reported that no train passengers were injured. Seattle police spokesman Mark Jamieson said officers conducted traffic control after the collision, but did not have additional details about the incident.

According to Sound Transit spokesman Bruce Gray, the car was going southbound in Martin Luther King and made an illegal left turn on Kenyon. The train had front end damage and service was disrupted for about 30 minutes and passengers were taken by bus to the Rainier Beach station.
Continue reading

May 29, 2009

Washington School Bus Accident at Railroad Crossing

By Kirk Bernard

The website wsp.wa.gov reported in a story on April 28, 2009 that a Battle Ground School Bus was rear ended on SR-503, just north of N.E. 149th Street while stopped at a railroad crossing. According to the Washington State Police, the driver of the bus, Nina Millard, 39 of Battle Ground, had stopped at the railroad crossing to clear it when a 2008 VW Jetta, driven by Jace Delgado, 22, also from Battle Ground, struck her from behind blocking both northbound lanes. Both drivers were wearing their seatbelts and were not seriously injured.

Delgado claims to have been following an SUV that made a lane change to the left at which point Delgado noticed the bus with its stop paddle deployed when he attempted to swerve to avoid a collision. Unsuccessful in his attempt he hit the bus and Delgados’s Jetta ended up partially underneath the bus.

An investigation by the Washington State Patrol concluded that Delgado was traveling at an excessive speed and it’s fortunate that no personal injury in Washington was suffered by anyone in this incident.

September 15, 2008

California Metrolink Train Accident Caused By Engineer’s Error

By Kirk Bernard

The county’s deadliest rail disaster in 15 years was caused by a commuter train engineer who ran a stop signal. The California train accident killed 25 people and it took nearly a day to find all the bodies.

At Bernard Law Group, we handle personal injury lawsuits every day. We have offices in California and Washington State. Call our attorneys at 1-800-418-8282. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell said that a preliminary investigation found that “it was a Metrolink engineer that failed to stop at a red signal and that was the probable cause” of Friday’s collision with a freight train in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. “When two trains are in the same place at the same time somebody’s made a terrible mistake,” said Tyrrell. The engineer was one of the 25 dead. Of the 25 people killed in the wreck, many had been in the front car of the Metrolink train, which was crushed in the wreck.

In addition to the 25 dead, 135 people were injured, and 81 of those were transported to hospitals in serious or critical condition. Many were described as having crush injuries.

One firefighter who pulled bodies from the wreckage said he had never seen such devastation. “We saw bodies where the metal had been pushed together and … we cut them out piece by piece. They were trapped in the metal,” he said.
Continue reading