Who is Liable if I am Injured on a Public Train?
Each day, a large number of individuals rely on public transportation. Statistics report that there are 3,000 train accidents that result in approximately 1,000 fatalities each year. While many people safely arrive at their destination, there are some cases in which individuals are harmed by public transportation. These accidents encompass any type of injury experienced by a person while using a public train. One of the unique elements is that train accidents can affect just one person, or in other cases can even affect a whole community in the case of derailments and toxic spills. Few individuals, however, are aware of how to respond if a train accident occurs, including knowing which parties can potentially be held liable. One of the best ways to respond if you are harmed in a train accident is to immediately obtain the assistance of a skilled accident attorney.
Train Accidents Involving Collisions
Train collision accidents are most often caused by failure on part of the train’s operator. These accidents, however, can also occur due to the train colliding with other vehicles. Sometimes pedestrians are struck by trains or pedestrians take their own lives by parking at a railroad crossing. Common causes of railroad crossing accidents including crossings that are obstructed by foliage or other objects, defective crossing signals, failure to sound train horns while approaching a crossing, failure to use a train’s lights when approaching a crossing, objects protruding from trains, and trains that park too close to a crossing.
Derailments are another common type of vehicle accident that can cause substantially more damage than collisions. Some of the most common causes of derailments include faulty equipment, faulty tracks, obstacles on the tracks, and trains that are overloaded with too much cargo weight.
Weather conditions are also known to cause these types of accidents. These conditions can either result in tracks that fail to let trains operate properly or adverse weather conditions that impair visibility for rail operators.
To make a successful claim in these types of cases, a person must demonstrate that another party is at fault for the accident.
Injuries Involving Public Liability at Train Stations
These accidents occur when individuals are injured are train stations because conditions are maintained in a negligent manner. Slip and fall accidents are one of the most common types of public liability accidents involving train stations and can result in a variety of injuries including back injuries, knee injuries, neck injuries, shoulder injuries, and spinal cord injuries. Some of the most common causes of slip and fall accidents include adverse weather conditions that result in slippery surfaces, falling into gaps between a platform and the train, falling on the tracks, inadequate lighting, and inadequate warning signs.
Contact a Skilled Accident Attorney
Experienced legal counsel can help many individuals who are harmed in public train accidents obtain compensation for lost wages, medical bills, and pain and suffering. Our legal counsel can analyze your case and advise you about how to respond. Contact Ferrara & Gable today.