Federal agencies have told Amtrak and other railroads several times over the last few years to use essential back up safety systems for workers on railroad tracks to prevent deadly accidents, as the crash and derailment that just happened in Chester PA this week. Sources with information about the Amtrak crash investigation that killed two workers have said that a […]
Feds Told Amtrak to Install More Safety Systems Before Deadly Crash
Amtrak Train Derails in Kansas – 29 Injured
Five cars on an Amtrak train in Cimarron, Kansas derailed early yesterday morning, sending 29 people to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. According to Amtrak, the train was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago when it derailed at approximately midnight on Feb. 12. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, five cars derailed and were on their side. Although the […]
Driver Killed When Train Hits SUV in Chicago
Police stated this week that a woman from Arlington Heights IL was killed when her SUV was struck by a commuter train. The driver was going southeast on Northwest Highway and was crossing railroad tracks when she was hit by a Union Pacific Northwest train at Euclid Avenue. the SUV caught fire after the crash and was pushed by the […]
1 Dead After Train Hits Car in Jacksonville FL
One person died in Jacksonville FL when an Amtrak train slammed into an SUV that was straddling the tracks last week, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The police stated that the train hit the Chevrolet Tahoe at approximately 7:20 PM on Jan. 14. The driver of the SUV died after he was taken to a local hospital. According to […]
FRA Scrutinizes Railroad Merger Due to Safety Concerns
Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. wants to merge with Norfolk Southern Corp., but federal regulators in the US worry that mergers of large railroads could lead to railroad safety concerns. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) regulates rail safety in the United States, and is looking carefully at the proposed merger, as it scrutinizes safety worries that could result when such large […]
Questions Arise After Fatal Pedestrian/Train Accident
A 16 year-old boy was hit by a train in NW Houston TX last Friday and was pronounced dead at the scene. Police reported that the young man was hit at 8:45 am near West 34th Street and TC Jester in Houston. His body was thrown under a trestle on the bridge that crosses the street White Oak Bayou. Police […]
Broken Rail Led to WV Oil Train Derailment, Officials State
By Randy Appleton, Virginia Railroad Accident Attorney A West Virginia crude oil train derailment in February 2015 that caused a fire and forced several hundred people to leave their homes was due to a split rail, according to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) last week. Two CSX rail inspections in December 2014 and January 2015 did not detect the defect […]
Amtrak Train Smashes Truck, Driver Uninjured
By Richard Shapiro, Railroad Accident Attorney A box truck driver jumped to safety just seconds before an Amtrak train slammed into his vehicle in San Diego CA on Aug. 31. The wreck happened in San Diego near the intersection of West Washington and Pacific Highway. The box truck had part of its cargo bay over the tracks at the time. […]
Most Railroads Won’t Meet Deadline For New Safety Technology
By Richard Shapiro, Railroad Accident Attorney Only a few railroads will come close to meeting a new federal deadline to install new safety technology that may prevent some crashes. Some of those crashes include derailments due to excessive speed, such as the deadly Amtrak wreck in Philadelphia last May. Just three railroads have turned in their safety plans to the […]