Train Accident

According to a report from the TheCW33.com, a married couple was hit by a train at Lake Lewisville, killing the husband and injuring the wife. The newlywed pair was at a family outing the evening of February 25 when they decided to leave the group to take a stroll, walking north along the A-train tracks over Lake Lewisville. A northbound train came from speeding from behind and hit the couple, making the two fall 20 feet below the tracks and into the lake below. Several Good Samaritans driving by helped pull the husband and wife from the water.

Both victims were flown to area hospitals for treatment, but tragically, the husband, a 32-year-old Iraq war veteran, died from his injuries. The commuter A-train involved in this Lewisville train accident is operated by the Denton County Transit Authority (DCTA), and a spokesperson for the group says the couple was walking in a restricted area on the tracks. The spokesperson urges for passersby to heed the warning signs posted along the tracks as this heartbreaking incident follows another fatal accident which occurred in November, killing a student who was also walking near the tracks.

In addition to obeying any posted warning signs, the following are a few safety tips to prevent being involved in a serious train accident:

• Walking down train tracks is dangerous and often illegal, so it’s best to stay off. Modern trains are also much quieter than older trains, so it is not safe to assume you will hear a train coming. Also, if in a vehicle, never stop on the tracks.
• Try and stay out of a train’s way as it is extremely difficult for them to stop and it may take a very long time for the large vehicle to brake. Trains also don’t often run on schedule, so don’t assume it is safe to cross simply because of the time.
• Only cross train tracks in the spots designated for pedestrians and vehicles, and look both ways before crossing. Also, never enter a train tunnel or cross a railroad trestle as it leaves no way to escape an oncoming train.

Being involved in a train accident is very dangerous and can often result in life-threatening injuries or fatalities, so following these safety tips can help prevent you or a loved one from being involved in a deadly collision. However, various other causes, such as a negligent train operator, can still cause an accident. If you have been injured in a serious accident, a skilled Lewisville accident attorney can help you obtain compensation for your injuries and hold at-fault parties legally accountable.

The U.S. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) not only keeps track of all railroad-related accidents in the United States each year, but it also makes this information available on the Internet for those who want to know more about railroad safety.

In 2010, according to the FRA, Texas saw 803 accidents. This number includes accidents involving only a moving train, accidents involving both a train and a motor vehicle or motorcycle, and accidents that occurred in rail yards and similar areas in which trains are stored or fixed. Of these 803 accidents, 53 of them resulted in the death of at least one person. Twenty-seven of these people were killed when a train collided with a motor vehicle.

According to the FRA, human error – either by engineers, workers, or motorists – caused one-third of the railroad accidents in Texas in 2010. Fully forty percent of the accidents were caused by defective track, while another eighteen percent were caused by defective equipment, including defective signals at railroad crossings.

These numbers indicate that it’s important for Texas residents who have suffered injury in a train accident to consider all the possible causes of the accident and all the different people or companies that may have played a role in the crash. While it’s easy to see a defective signal at a railroad crossing, for instance, it’s not always obvious that a train also had a defective brake part that prevented it from stopping or slowing in time to prevent a crash. Most experienced Texas railroad accident lawyers are familiar with the many ways in which a train accident can occur and are willing to examine a railroad accident carefully to determine what happened and who may be responsible.

Many freight train companies currently move locomotives around switching yards using remote controls, which allow workers to move several trains without requiring an engineer in each one. Soon, however, railroad companies may start using remote-controlled cargo trains to move freight across the country, according to a recent news report from KDFW.

Fort Worth is one of the few cities that currently has cargo trains moving across intersections without a driver in the locomotive itself, since the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line uses remote controls to move some trains, including those going through the Industrial Boulevard crossing in the downtown Fort Worth area. But several railroad companies, including the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, may be sending trains on longer trips without a driver as a means to cut costs.

The full scope of the safety issues involved with taking locomotive engineers out of cargo trains is not yet clear, however. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) estimates that freight trains run by remote control are involved in 25 percent more accidents than trains that have a human engineer. Some veteran engineers state that a person operating a train by remote control cannot deal with every possible issue the train might encounter, which could easily increase the rate of accidents.

Accidents which involve a freight train and a passenger vehicle or a pedestrian often cause severe injuries and deaths, since neither cars nor human bodies stand much chance against something as large as a locomotive. Railroad safety, therefore, should be a top priority for everyone who operates or travels on or near railroads. Texas citizens who are injured in a railroad accident should strongly consider consulting an experienced Texas railroad accident attorney, who can help them understand their rights and options under Texas law.

On any given day, a car-train crash is far less likely than a multiple-car accident.

Yet a car collision with a train can cause far more severe injuries, and it can easily result in death.

If your car stalls or stops on the train tracks, get out immediately. If a train is coming, turn to face it, and then walk at a 45-degree angle away from the train and your vehicle in order to be out of the way of flying debris. Call the railroad’s emergency phone number or 911 and tell them there is a car stalled on the tracks and you need help. The railroad’s phone number and the Department of Transportation number for the crossing should be posted on one of the crossing signs or on railroad equipment.

To protect yourself and your passengers, practice these railroad crossing safety tips, courtesy of the Federal Railroad Administration:

• Approach the train crossing with care. Use your brake lights and hazard lights to warn those behind you that you are slowing down, and stop 15 to 50 feet from the closest rail.
• Stop, look, and listen. Roll down your windows and turn off the car radio. Move your head and body as necessary so you can see around any obstacles, like crossing signs.
• Keep looking and listening as you cross the train tracks. Use the highest gear that you can, but do not shift gears while on the tracks.
• Once you have started crossing the tracks, do not stop, even if the lights begin to flash or the crossbars come down.

Even the most careful drivers may be involved in a car accident or train accident. When an accident occurs, Texas residents have certain legal rights and options. An experienced Texas train accident attorney can help those injured in an accident find the answers and compensation they need in order to move forward with their lives.

A nine-year-old boy lost his leg while playing near a passing train, local news station WFAA-8 reported recently. The boy and his two brothers were playing on the train tracks behind their Garland home when the boy decided to try grabbing onto the side of a passing train. He slipped, and his leg fell underneath the train’s wheels. His brothers pulled him out and carried him home.

The boy’s parents, while admitting their sons should not be playing on the train tracks, continue to wonder why the tracks are so accessible. A sidewalk in the neighborhood runs directly to the tracks, and a large hole in the fence at the tracks’ edge makes it easy for neighborhood children to get into the railroad right-of-way. Many neighborhood children are often seen playing on the train tracks.

The city is investigating whether it has a responsibility to block access to the tracks, since the sidewalk that leads to them appears to be city property.

Only three other Texas children since 2007 have survived being hit by a train. According to the Federal Railroad Association, since 2001, Texas has seen 110 railroad accidents resulting in death and 884 non-fatal railroad accidents, including accidents involving railroad employees. Since 2007, there have been 18 fatal train accidents in Texas involving trespassers on the railroad right-of-way. Despite careful precautions, trains remain dangerous, especially to people who wander into a train’s path, and train accidents continue to occur.

According to an article on KWTX.com, two men were killed in Clifton, Texas on Thursday, April 1, 2010 when a train struck a pickup truck towing a trailer. The Department of Public Safety investigated the accident, which occurred on County Road 3221 off FM 1991. The driver appeared to have traveled around a railroad crossing sign before the collision. Witnesses indicated that the impact caused the trailer to overturn. No further information was provided.

Although not as common as car accidents, train accidents in Texas can often be destructive. Common railroad accidents are caused by mechanical failures, derailments, improperly maintained tracks, driver fatigue and collisions with passenger vehicles. Drivers and pedestrians should be aware of trains and take care to prevent an accident. Here are a few train accident prevention tips from the Federal Railroad Administration that can help save your life:

• Expect a train to come at anytime on any track regardless of signs.
• Trains cannot stop quickly. Once the emergency brake is activated, trains can take a mile or more before being able to stop.
• Keep an eye out for second or third trains at multiple track crossings.
• If your car stalls on the tracks, get out of the vehicle and walk away at a 45-degree angle toward the direction the train is coming so as to ensure that debris will not injure you.
• Trains are three feet wider than the tracks on each side. So, be sure to leave enough space between your vehicle and the crossing.
• Do not cross tracks unless there is a designated railroad crossing.