An estimated 1,000 Americans die in train accidents every year, while 3,000 others get injured. From railway suicides, getting hit by a train while intoxicated and slip and fall accidents to train collisions and derailments, trains are quite dangerous.
Even though the number of Americans who travel by train decreases every year, injuries and fatalities on trains are not going anywhere.
But the massive size and weight of trains is not the only explanation for this. Also, the outdated, outrageous, and inadequate policies that regulate train travel in the U.S. – that’s on top of negligence, carelessness, and failure to comply with regulations contribute to train accidents in our country.
Several dies, over 100 injured in train accident
Last Sunday, Americans witnessed a terrifying train accident that left several people dead and more than 100 injured. An Amtrak train crashed into an unmanned freight train after being mistakenly diverted to a side track.
As a result of the train accident, which took place in South Caroline, two Amtrak employees died, and 116 people – mostly passengers – were injured.
The train was mistakenly diverted because the rail switch had been manually set to divert the Amtrak Train 91 onto the side track, our Los Angeles train accident attorney who reviewed the horrifying crash noted.
Even though it’s a standard procedure that rail switches are being manually operated, for some reason a padlock held the switch in its alignment, which subsequently led to a totally preventable train accident.
What caused the train accident
Our best train accident attorneys in Los Angeles at JML Law have several questions regarding the South Carolina train collision, but investigators don’t know the answers at the moment.
It could be that the train braked before being diverted or it was exceeding the 59 mph speed limit, our train accident lawyers at JML Law argue. Experts also say that the train accident could have been avoided if the Amtrak train was equipped with PTC, which stands for positive train control.
PTC is a system that takes advantage of GPS, wireless radio, and computers to prevent collisions, derailing, and speeding. Thanks to a series of laws passed in the U.S. in recent months, railroad companies will be legally required to implement PTC until the end of 2018.
The failure to equip trains with PTC will give passengers who get injured or lose their loved ones in fatal train accidents one more reason to hold railroad companies responsible for damages in multi-million dollar lawsuits.
Types of train accidents you can sue for
Whether you’re a train passenger, pedestrian, bystander, motorist or passenger of other vehicles, or a railroad worker, you can obtain compensation in a train accident if you prove negligence or recklessness.
Now, suing multi-billion dollar railroad companies to collect damages is not the easiest task, as these companies are protected by skilled lawyers. That’s why it’s critical to be legally represented by a Los Angeles train accident attorney who will formulate a professional and aggressive strategy to fight for your interests both in and outside of court.
Here at JML Law, our attorneys can help if you’ve been injured or your loved one has been killed in any of the following types of train accidents:
- Derailments
- Slip and fall accident
- Assaults on trains
- Train/train collisions
- Train/car collisions
- Railroad crossing accidents
- Railroad accidents
- Faulty tracks
- Obstacles on the tracks
- Defective signals or gates
This is just a non-exhaustive list of types of train accidents in which you can obtain compensation for your injuries and damages. Contact our best train accident attorneys in Los Angeles to get a free consultation about your case.
Call JML Law at 818-610-8800 or send us an email for a free evaluation of your case.