According to news reports, yesterday there were two separate train accidents in the Chicagoland area: one was a vehicle-train crash, the other was a pedestrian-train accident. Unfortunately, both train accidents were deadly. To speak with a top Chicago train accident lawyer, call Passen & Powell at (312) 527-4500 for a Free Consultation. The news reports… Read More
Vehicle-Train Crashes Caused By Distracted Driving
Distracted driving remains a hot safety topic, as it is a known cause of many serious motor vehicle accidents. Most of the focus is on distracted car and truck drivers on the road generally. A recent news article in the Occupational Health & Safety magazine highlights the dangers of distracted driving near train tracks or… Read More
‘Driver Distraction’ Cause of Northwest Flight Error
Many news stories, studies and pending legislation have been devoted to serious car or trucking accidents caused by distracted drivers — operating a motor vehicle while engaged in other activities, such as texting or talking on a cell phone — but it seems such distraction is not limited to ground transportation. According to recent reports… Read More
NTSB Issues Safety Warning re Audio Frequency Track Circuits
Last week, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a national warning regarding the use of audio frequency track circuits in train control systems. The warning comes as the NTSB continues its investigation into the fatal train collision in Washington, D.C. Metro crash. Audio frequency track circuits are used to detect and transmit speed commands. … Read More
Court Upholds Comparative Negligence Verdict in Train Accident
An Illinois appellate court upheld a Cook County jury verdict that found a plaintiff 50 percent comparatively negligent for the injures he sustained when he tried to exit a Metra train car that had overshot its platform. The court, therefore, affirmed the jury’s award of damages, which were reduced by 50% (based on the finding… Read More
Federal Railroad Administration Issues Proposed Rules to Prevent Train Collisions
Recently, the Federal Railroad Administration and Secretary of Transportation announced proposed rules aimed at preventing catastrophic train and railroad crashes. The new rules mandate trains and railroads to use Positive Train Control (PTC), designed to prevent train-to-train collisions. This implementation of new technology is one effort to reduce the number of people injured or… Read More
Amtrak Crash Kills 9-Year-Old Girl and Grandparents in Railroad Crossing Accident
According to today’s news, a 9-year-old girl and her grandparents were killed when an Amtrak train struck their vehicle near Ottawa, Illinois. The LaSalle County Coroner said that the young girl and her grandparents, from Leland, Illinois, were pronounced dead on the scene of the accident. Two other children from Indiana, ages 10 and 7,… Read More
Illinois Common Carrier Liability for Train and Bus Accidents
From January to April 2009, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has recorded 587 “train accidents” and 672 “highway-rail incidents”. The FRA defines a train accident as “an event involving ontrack rail equipment that results in monetary damage to the equipment and track above a certain threshold.” This would include a train derailment, such as the… Read More
Illinios Repeals Notice Requirement In Negligence Lawsuits Against CTA
As our cost of living continues to increase, and our cities become overpopulated, more people will continue to rely on our public transportation, including the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). Because the CTA commutes a mass number of people each day, the result of a CTA train or bus crash can be enormous. Severe personal injury,… Read More
Tractor-Trailer Truck Accidents – An Experienced Lawyer Helps Determine Causation
As with all motor vehicle accidents, there various causes of truck accidents — some purely accidental, some caused by carelessness or recklessness. Some of the less innocuous causes of truck accidents, which may form the basis for a personal injury negligence action, include driver fatigue, overloaded trucks, improper truck maintenance (by the tuck driver, trucking… Read More