Amtrak Crash Lawyer
The Amtrak derailment crash in Philadelphia on May 12, 2105, in which eight people were killed and more than 200 injured followed a series of recent Amtrak train crash tragedies. Each year since 2012, Amtrak trains have crashed at a increasingly higher rate. Its accident rate now is worse than the national average for all trains and all commuter rail services.
Initial investigation of the Philadelphia Amtrak crash revealed that the train accelerated to 106 mph into the curve where it derailed, more than twice the speed limit on that section of track. The conductor of the train, who suffered severe injuries including a broken neck, back, and both shoulders, told reporters that, “There was a sudden surge and then the wreck occurred.” The train’s engineer suffered a concussion and clams no memory of what happened in the moments before the accident.
Earlier in 2015, an Amtrak train traveling northbound from Charlotte, NC to New York City struck a tractor-trailer truck at a railroad crossing in Halifax, North Carolina and derailed. The truck, carrying an oversize load, was under police escort by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol when it was hit by the passenger train. Fifty-five people were injured, including the train’s engineer. A witness to the crash reportedly told a 911 operator that she did not hear the train’s horn sound, but that the railroad crossing lights at the site of the accident were working.
In October 2014, twenty-four people were injured in a railroad crossing accident in which an Amtrak train hit a semi truck’s trailer on the tracks in White County, Indiana.
Amtrak Derailments and Positive Train Control
Passenger trains are much lighter and shorter, and may travel at faster speeds compared with freight trains. Because they provide passenger transportation, they operate on fixed schedules. The implementation of a safety technology called Positive Train Control (PTC) on the tracks could have prevented the Philadelphia Amtrak crash. PTC keeps trains from going too fast by overriding the engineer and slowing the train to the speed limit or stopping it at a red signal when the engineer fails to do so and thereby overcoming human error.
Since 1990, PTC has been on the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB’s) “Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements.” The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, a federal law, mandated the installation of PTC technology on most railroad tracks by 2015. In 2010, The GAO reported that while Amtrak had taken steps to install PTC systems, the 2015 deadline likely would not be met.
The number of Amtrak derailments are up in 2015 according to Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) records. There were a total of 28 Amtrak derailments in 2014, 25 in 2013, and 27 in 2012. The trend is disturbing. Delays installing available safety systems such as Positive Train Control (PTC) are inexcusable. Passenger safety must come first.
Amtrak Crash Lawyers
We are committed to empowering the Amtrak crash victims by providing aggressive legal representation and compassionate support. Our experienced Amtrak crash lawyers help people recover personal injury and wrongful death damages caused by Amtrak’s failure to exercise the highest degree of care in the transport of its passengers.
We will help you recover the financial compensation you and your family deserves. Our top national train accident attorneys will take on Amtrak and any other party who’s at fault for the damages you have been caused to suffer. If you or a loved one has been the victim of an Amtrak crash anywhere in the United States, contact us right away for a free, no-obligation consultation with a top national Amtrak crash lawyer.
Train passenger safety is no accident. Amtrak is required by law to exercise the highest degree of care in the transport of their passengers. It must warn passengers of all known dangers and maintain strict compliance with all state and federal safety laws. The failure to fulfill these duties can result in passenger injury and death.
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