An overwhelming majority of serious railroad accidents take place on level crossings. According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, Virginia has 9, 409 railway crossings. Of these, 2,574 private grade crossings, 1,852 public and at-grade, 1,852 grade-separated, and 3,764 closed crossings. A lot of these crossings are not equipped with critical safety features that warn people in the area when […]
Negligence and Liability in Virginia Railroad Crossing Accidents
What Duties Do Railroads and Landowners Have to Prevent Crashes at Private Crossings?
More than 6,700 miles of railroad track exist in Virginia, and those tracks cross thousands of driveways, business lots and private roads. Nearly every one of those private railroad crossings lacks the flashing warning lights and automatic gates drivers, bike riders and pedestrians have grown to expect on public roads and highways. In fact, a majority of private railroad crossings […]
Fatal Indiana Train Crossing Crash Prompts Concerns About Safety
A railroad crossing accident that killed a 74-year-old woman in Edinburgh, Indiana is sparking new worries about crossing safety across the state. The woman, Sharon Gobin, was killed after her car was hit by a train that was rolling through downtown Edinburgh at 1 PM on November 20. The accident is still under investigation, but it has been confirmed that […]
Cleveland Has One of the Most Dangerous Crossings in the US
Reports from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) show that a Cleveland, Ohio train crossing is one of the most dangerous in the United States. The FRA report states that the crossing is at the 8200 block of Bessemer Avenue in Cleveland. The report indicates that the crossing is in the top 15 of railroad crossings in the US with 12 […]
Fatal Train Accident in Massachusetts Highlights RR Crossing Safety
A 59 year old man was killed on March 12 in Longmeadow, Massachusetts when his work truck was struck at a railroad crossing by an Amtrak plow train. The death of the man at the railroad crossing has brought up many worries and complaints from many in the community. Many feel that there should be additional safety features at that […]
Owasso, OK Man Blames Railroad Crossing Crash on Malfunction
A man in Oswasso, Oklahoma is blaming faulty railroad lights and gates for him slamming into a train on Feb. 1, causing himself minor injuries and serious damage to his car. Witnesses say that they were not surprised that the lights were allegedly not working and gates not functioning. Some say that it is a frequent occurence when trains roar […]
Exiting FRA Chief Hopes Technology Will Save More Lives
Ex-Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Chief Sarah Feinberg was in the job for only weeks in 2015 when a commuter train slammed into an SUV stopped on the tracks just north of New York City. Six people died in the train crash. That Feburary 2015 train crossing accident highlighteed a problem that has been with the railroad industry for more than […]
Woman Severely Injured in Railroad Crossing Accident
A woman in Greenbrier, Tennessee was airlifted to a local hospital on November 2 when her car was hit by a train at a local railroad crossing. The accident happened at 5 am on November 2 in Greenbriar at the Wilson St. crossing. According to the local chief of police, the woman was in critical condition with serious railroad crossing […]
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 […]
Lethal PA Railroad Crossing Called ‘Seriously Deficient’ by Railroad Experts
A railroad crossing in Halifax PA where new mother Trisha Hoffman died on Sept. 4 has been termed ‘seriously deficient’ by two railway experts interviewed in early September by PennLive.com. Pennsylvania state law does not require that drivers stop at all railroad crossings. They only must stop for flashing lights, gates, or if they know a train is oncoming. The problem […]