South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog

Just weeks after the Federal Railroad Administration ranked Florida among the ten worst states for train accidents at railroad crossings, a 34-year-old Edgewater man was struck and killed by a Florida East Coast Railroad freight train, according to a New Smyrna Beach media report.

In 2009 alone, Florida railways accidents included 48 crossing collisions that left 10 dead and 19 injured. Another 19 were killed and 8 injured in trespass incidents, according to the non-profit railway safety organization Operation Lifesaver.

According to the National Safety Commission, there are a handful of causes that frequently contribute to railroad crossing accidents.

First, trains look like they are moving slower than they really are which can lead a driver or pedestrian into making a judgment error when approaching a railroad crossing.

Second, trains are big and heavy. So even if they are traveling at a relatively slow rate of speed – say about 35 mph – they still pack close to a million tons of force.

Third, it takes about 1.5 miles to bring a freight train to a complete stop, and with only about half of public rail crossings controlled by electronic signals, and many private crossing unmarked and without any signaling, a distracted driver may, quite literally, drive onto an active railway and never see the train coming.

The safest rule is the simplest: before crossing any railroad track, assume a train is coming, whether you see or hear one or not.

In cases where a crossing accident occurs, it is important to consult with an experienced Port St. Lucie accident lawyers, or a personal injury or wrongful death attorney in your town. Investigating the cause of the accident is a critical step to protecting the rights of you and your family.

Continue reading "South Florida train accident a reminder of Florida's deadly railroad crossings" »

Florida has been ordered to improve safety at railroad crossings as the number of Florida train accidents ranks the state among the 10 worst in the nation, the Federal Railroad Administration reports.

The states targeted are Florida, Alabama, California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Ohio and Texas. Nearly 4,200 crossing accidents occurred in those states from 2006-2008, or just over half of the railroad crossing accidents that occurred nationwide.

Florida railroad accidents killed 29 people in 2009. Nationwide, about 14,000 train accidents occur each year, claiming more than 875 lives and injuring about 10,000 motorists. Each year, Florida train accidents kill an average of 45 people and injure more than 200.

More than 100 accidents occur each year at Florida railroad crossings, according to federal statistics. And the Florida Highway Patrol reports those figures are much higher. The patrol reports almost 3,000 crossing accidents occurred in 2006, killing 362 people and seriously injuring 999.

Some states argued the mandate to target states with the most railroad crossing accidents did not take into account the number of crossings or the amount of traffic and that a better measure would have been to target state with the most accidents per-vehicle traveling through railroad crossing. The Railroad Administration rejected that approach.

The states must submit a plan by August 2011, detailing how problems will be identified and solved at crossings. Solutions could include adding lights to crossings with gates, closing crossings, or building bridges over tracks.

Continue reading "Florida railroad crossing accidents a frequent tragedy; state ordered to improve safety" »