Negligence and Liability in Virginia Railroad Crossing Accidents

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]