Your Personal Injury Attorney for Commuter Train Accidents
Were you injured in a commuter train accident? Lopez Law Group
represents victims of rail transportation accidents. If you or a loved one was involved in this type of accident, be sure to contact our firm. Trains are regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). When engineers, maintenance workers or transit authorities fail to abide by these regulations, serious accidents can occur. According to the FRA, there are nearly 2,000 train accidents in the U.S. annually. More than 70 percent of those accidents are derailments.
Train Derailments
Train derailments typically occur when a train is traveling at too great a speed, brakes are not properly applied, by defects in the track or when a train collides with something on the track. Derailments of passenger and/or commuter trains typically result in numerous injuries and often the death of some passengers. Derailments are completely avoidable and are caused by the negligent and careless actions of railroad operators.
Common Causes of Train and Railroad Accidents.
According to accident reporting and investigations conducted by the FRA as well as the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the most common cause of train accidents is human error which accounts for 36 percent of all rail accidents. Track defects cause 34 percent of all accidents, “miscellaneous” factors account for 17 percent of all train accidents, equipment defects account for 12 percent and signal defects 2 percent.
Human Error
34 percent of all train accidents are caused by human error. In a majority of cases, this involves the engineer failing to comply with restricted speeds or brake when necessary, and other avoidable engineer mistakes.
Improper Railroad Maintenance
The track must be properly maintained to avoid serious accidents and derailments. Crossties must be in place, switches must be accurately lined and other track components must be constantly monitored so that worn or broken parts can be replaced.
Signal Defects
The electrical systems that control the railroad signals must be in good working order to ensure safe train operation. This includes railroad crossing gates, flashing warning lights and related signals.
Train Equipment Defects
A large number of accidents take place because the train itself was not in good working order. Regular maintenance of a train’s complex mechanical and electrical systems is essential.