Did you ever try to beat a train? I mean - as a teenager or because you were in a hurry and simply couldn't wait at the crossing till the train passed or maybe had a little too much to drink and your judgment was impaired?
Have you ever sat at the crossing with the crossing arms down and thought about going around them because the train appeared to be traveling too slowly? Or have you just missed getting hit by a train because you failed to stop at the stop sign and look both ways before proceeding?
Well, if you have tried to beat a train you're not the first - but gamble too often and it may be your last. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation there are an average of 5800 vehicle-train crashes annually in this country causing the deaths of 600 people and horrific injuries to the rest. Be guaranteed that any encounter between a passenger car that weighs around 3000 pounds and a train that weighs in at around several hundred tons will favor the train coming out of the accident more unscathed than the car.
The most common statistic offered to people meant to help them understand the awesome power of a train is that a train traveling 50 miles an hour and 150 cars in length takes at least a mile to stop.
Finally, while accidents that occur in daylight hours are a case of the train impacting with the car in over 75% of the cases - at night the car hits the train at least 50% of the time. Always stop at unprotected train stops and look both ways before proceeding.
Greg Baumgartner is a Texas personal injury attorney and the founder of the Baumgartner Firm, which is dedicated to helping semi truck accident victims seek civil justice. To speak with the Texas semi truck accident attorney call the Baumgartner Firm.
