A small town in Westchester County, NY may shut down the railroad crossing where an SUV driver and five train passengers died in a disastrous railroad crossing crash last year. The Feb. 3, 2015 train crash prompted the town of of Mount Pleasant NY to study whether vehicle traffic should be diverted from the hazardous railroad crossing at Commerce Street. […]
New York Town May Shut Down Deadly Rail Crossing
Tired BNSF Employees Complain About 12 Hour Shifts
Some BNSF Railway workers in Whitefish, Montana are warning that they are working 12 hour shits that compromise safety. They claim that the long shifts can lead to extreme fatigue that could cause dangerous situations when hauling hazardous commodities. One BNSF employee told the media that the company had started a new schedule that has workers working for 12 hours […]
Safety Improvements Underway at Deadly TN Railroad Crossing
Work is currently underway at a deadly railroad crossing in Harriman, Tennessee that was the site of a deadly crash that killed two people in 2014. In May 2014, a car was struck by a train at the crossing of US 27 and Mountain View Rd. in Harriman. Several safety improvements were announced early this year, which were funded by […]
Congress Passes Bill To Delay Train Safety Upgrades
After the deadly Amtrak wreck in Philadelphia earlier this year that killed five, some lawmakers wanted to see a speed enforcement system implemented right away. However, this week Congress passed a bill that will delay mandates for railroads to add such safety upgrades. After the derailing in May, the CEO of Amtrak pledged to make the safety upgrades by the […]
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 […]
Northern Virginia Law Enforcement Increasing Train Track Safety Awareness
Officers from Fairfax County (VA) Police and the Norfolk Southern Railroad Police have been cracking down on people who illegally walk across railroad tracks Northern Virginia. The Norfolk Southern Police are in the midst of a year-long Trespass Abatement Program and are focusing their efforts on five areas in Fairfax County in recent days. That is due to the high […]
More Time Needed for New Train Safety Technology: Federal Report
By Randy Appleton, Virginia Railroad Accident Attorney A new report issued by the Government Accountability Office this week states that Congress should allow more time for freight and passenger trains to install new technology that could prevent deadly train derailings, such as the Amtrak mishap last May that killed eight people. Congress established a Dec. 31 deadline for rail companies […]
Railroad Track Was Set for Replacement Day After VA Derailment
By Richard Shapiro, Virginia Railroad Accident Attorney A section of railroad track that was owned by CSX in Lynchburg, Virginia (VA) was set to be replaced – the day after a crude oil trail derailed and broke out in flames. The National Transportation Safety Board issued this report in late August into the derailment, which occurred on April 30, 2014. […]
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 […]