An agreement was reached in early July in the New York State Assembly that would improve railroad safety throughout the state. The new legislation will establish state coordination of inspections by railroads and local officials of grade crossing warning systems that are connected with traffic lights. The new regulations also will align state law with federal railroad bridge inspection standards […]
New York State Assembly Passes Legislation to Increase Railroad Safety
North Carolina Pastor Dies in Railroad Crossing Accident
A pastor from Gaston County, North Carolina is dead after the waste management truck he was driving was hit by a Piedmont and Northern Railroad train near Lowell NC last Monday. According to the local police department. the driver of the truck was Thomas Collins, who was the pastor of New Canaan Baptist Church. He also drove part time for the […]
CT Congresswoman Reintroduces Rail Safety Enforcement Act
Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro is leading an effort on Capitol Hill to reintroduce the Rail Safety Enforcement Act, which would mandate that railroads establish and implement a Fatigue Management Plan. It also would provide railroad workers with a defined start time, or at least 10 hours notice before reporting to the job. DeLauro made the announcement at the West Haven […]
Jury Awards $4.4 Million to Injured Railroad Worker
After a five day trial in St. Francois County, Missouri, the jury awarded $4.4 million to an injured BNSF Railway worker. According to the lawsuit documents, Rob Hays from Raymore MO was working for BNSF operating a weld truck with a rail replacement crew along the Mississippi River north of Ste. Genevieve. He was driving the truck with a remote […]
WV Widow Names 100+ Companies in Asbestos Lawsuit
A recent case in West Virginia is a good illustration of how many different companies can be sued for exposing a former worker to asbestos, which can lead to mesothelioma in some cases. The lawsuit was filed by Lois June Wells from Middlebourne WV. her late husband Robert Wayne Wells was employed by Weirton Steel in Weirton and also for […]
Deadly Railroad Crossing Was Slated for Safety Improvements
A deadly railroad crossing in southern Colorado where five family members died when an Amtrak train slammed into their SUV, had been slated for several safety improvements for years. The rural railroad crossing near Trinidad CO, near the New Mexico border, was identified for several safety improvements since 2013, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. According to the department, […]
3 Railroad Employees Missing After Head-On Crash in Texas
Two BNSF freight trains slammed into each other on the same track outside of Amarillo TX, with at least one railroad worker injured and three missing. According to a spokesman for the Carson County TX sheriff’s office, the chances of finding the missing crew members alive is low. The two train crash happened at 8:25 central time on Tuesday near […]
Wrongful Death Lawsuit Claims Railroad Trestle Is Hazardous
A railroad trestle in Wilkes-Barre PA is a public safety hazard that has killed one person and left another person severely injured, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed in Luzerne County PA this week. The trestle crosses over East Thomas St. at South Cleveland St. in Wilkes Barre, and has a large gap between a set of current and […]
Union Pacific Railroad Sued for Man’s Injuries at Crossing
A man from Beaumont TX is suing Union Pacific Railroad for his injuries after a February 2013 crash that happened on a Beaumont railroad crossing on Highway 90. The man was driving a big rig hauling a crane when the trailer got stuck at the crossing. He hopped out of his truck to look at the damage, and then a […]
NY Jury Awards $3.2 Million in Machinist Mesothelioma Case
The estate of a machinist mate in New York has been awarded $3.2 million in compensation for the mesothelioma he contracted while working for Jenkins Bros., a company that made the valves that led to his asbestos exposure. In the case at the Supreme Court of New York, County of Schenectady NY, the estate of Scott Shays was awarded the […]