Cars and trains are a deadly combination - yet the number of collisions between the two does not appear to be receding. According to experts there were nearly 10,000 vehicle (cars and trucks) and train collisions in a recent year.
That averages out to an accident at a railroad crossing about every 12 minutes in the United States. These accidents resulted in 650 deaths. Surprisingly it is not always the car or truck driver who is at fault. In fact, train conductors and/or the train companies themselves have been cited for all of the following problems.
Defects with the trains are the cause of up to one-third of all train-vehicle collisions and human error accounts for the other third. Granted - sometimes this means that the driver (or even pedestrian) makes a judgment in error that results in the collision but it is just as likely that the train operator is at fault for everything from drowsy to distracted 'conducting.
By 'defects' we are referring to problems with the railroad tracks, train couplings or other parts that could cause the train to malfunction. Unfortunately, it has been proved on numerous occasions that train and vehicle accidents could have been avoided if the railroad companies would have been more proactive in maintaining their property rather than waiting until there has been an injury or fatality to review safety measures and equipment.
As a driver it behooves you to motor cautiously around railroad tracks. Even if there are no warning lights or gates indicating that there is a train in route you are advised to stop and look both ways before crossing tracks.
This simple precaution could save your life.
Greg Baumgartner is a Houston train accident lawyer and the founder of the Baumgartner law firm, which is dedicated to helping injury victims seek civil justice. For a free no obligation consultation with a personal injury lawyer in Texas call the Baumgartner firm.
