On February 3rd of this year, a 38-car Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. Several railcars burned for more than two days, with emergency crews then conducting a controlled burn of several railcars. The fumes caused the release of hydrogen chloride and phosgene into the air, forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents who […]
Far-Reaching Consequences of Train Derailments
Commuter Train Derailments: Common Causes and Injuries
In metropolitan areas like Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC, public transportation provides an invaluable service. Although convenient, commuter trains can present multiple hazards that most passengers probably don’t even think about. Operators and owners of commuter trains have a duty of care to provide safe passage for those who use them. If injuries or deaths occur in a train derailment […]
Automated Train Operation A Cause For Concern
In recent years, the rapid evolution of automated vehicles has been a mainstay in the news as people either welcome the technology or raise concerns about safety. While all this is going on, railways companies have been working diligently behind closed doors on Automatic Train Operation, an innovation that could forever change how cargo is shipped across the United States. […]
Why You Need an Experienced Railroad Derailment Lawyer When You Suffer Injuries or Lung Damage From a Train Wreck
No one can feel completely safe when a train goes off the tracks. “Train wreck” did not become shorthand for a disastrous situation for no reason. As Virginia-based railroad injury lawyers for going on 40 years, we have seen firsthand some of the worst results from train derailments. We helped several victims of the Norfolk Southern chemical train crash in […]
US Railroad Workers Testing Positive for Drugs Skyrockets
In early 2016, a railroad worker who had just been briefed on an upcoming assignment was found dead in a restroom, having overdosed on illegal prescription drugs. In the following months, tests that were done after three railroad accidents found that six employees on the trains tested positive for drugs. In a report done by the Washington Post, testing in […]
New Jersey Train Station Crash Kills 1, Injures 100
A New Jersey Transit train crashed and derailed as it arrive into Hoboken Terminal just before 9 am on Thursday morning. The rush hour train crash killed one person and injured more than 100. Images posted on social media showed that the train tore through a wall and severely damaged the station, leaving train debris strewn about and twisted metal […]
Railroads Sluggish to Adopt Safety Technology as Deadline Passes
Many commuter and freight railroads continue to be slow to adopt safety technology that could prevent deadly crashes and derailments. This is in spite of the fact that that Congress has mandated that railroads install positive train control or PTC. PTC uses digital radio signals, GPS and signals on tracks to monitor the position of trains. It has the ability […]
FRA Final Rule Requires Better Safety Approach for Passenger Rail
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a final rule in August 2016 that states that passenger railroads will need to adopt more proactive safety rules to prevent serious accidents, injuries and deaths. The final rule issued by the US railroad regulator is called the system Safety Program. Under it, railroads are required to develop a better and quantifiable safety […]
Oregon Train Derailment Caused by Broken Bolts Missed During Inspection
On June 3, a crude oil train derailed in Mosier, Oregon, spilling thousands of gallons of oil and causing local residents to evacuate. The 16 car derailment in Oregon was caused by a set of broken bolts that were missed during a routine inspection by a track inspector with the Oregon Department of Transportation. ODOT recently concluded that several lag bolts that […]
FRA Demands Immediate Amtrak Safety Review
The Federal Railroad Administration has directed Amtrak this week to conduct an immediate safety review, due to violations that were revealed in the fatal crash and derailment in Pennsylvania on Sunday. The FRA told Amtrak this week to do a safety stand down, which is a review of all of its work safety protocols with track workers and train dispatchers. […]