Train Accidents

Metrolink Train Kills Pedestrian in Palmdale Wrongful Death Accident

June 14, 2011 | by Robert Walch

This morning, a Metrolink train accident in Palmdale caused the possible wrongful death of a pedestrian. The Palmdale train accident occurred shortly after 11:00 am. The Metrolink train was en route from Union Station to Lancaster, California and the train accident happened near East Avenue O-8.

The victim of the train accident in Palmdale has not been identified. Fortunately, according to the Los Angeles Times, there were no reported injuries to any of the 114 passengers on the train at the time of the California train accident.

Burbank Metrolink Accidents Feared

May 26, 2011 | by Robert Walch

Officials have grown increasingly worried about the possibility of a Metrolink train accident in Burbank, due to unsafe crossings and the addition of the Metrolink express train service that runs from Burbank to Los Angeles Union Station.

According to the Burbank Leader, the downtown Burbank Metrolink station is one of the busiest Metrolink stations and commuters will rush across tracks when they think a train is idle, not considering the possibility the train will accelerate in reverse. This poses a serious risk of a Metrolink train pedestrian accident.

Apparently, people cross the tracks because buses serve both sides of the station. Currently, Metrolink appears to be relying on security guards at crossing stations giving warnings that people should not cross when the bell and lights are on. However, security guards have acknowledged that there is a common practice of people not listening to these warnings and crossing anyway, apparently because they think it is safe.

California Train Accident Injures 3

March 14, 2011 | by Robert Walch

A train accident in California injured three people yesterday as two of the ten cars came off the track. Fortunately, all of the train cars stayed upright and not turned over, which would have caused much more severe injuries to the occupants.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the train accident, operated by BART, occurred in Concord, California and was taking passengers to the San Francisco Airport at the time. The train derailment occurred at low speed and 65 passengers aboard the train were evacuated and taken to their destination by bus. The three injured passengers reported having back pains from the BART train accident.

The cause of the California train accident is still being investigated. When train accidents occur, often there are many injured passengers who may have a personal injury claim against the train company, which may be a government entity. Because of the various rules involved, including the increased and special duties of care for operators of a common carrier for hire, it is important that injured passengers or their families immediately contact a California personal injury attorney so the attorney can explain to them their rights and pursue a claim for their injuries and other damages.

Person Killed By Amtrak Train in Los Angeles

March 9, 2011 | by Robert Walch

An Amtrak train accident in Los Angeles occurred this morning when a person was struck by the train at about 6:20 am. The train was traveling from Los Angeles to San Diego when it hit the person. The train accident occurred at Santa Fe Avenue and 8th Street near Union Station in Los Angeles, California.

At the time of the Los Angeles train accident, there were 30 people on board the train, including passengers and crew, none of which were hurt. There are reports that the person killed was possibly a transient, but that has not been confirmed.

The reason the person was on the tracks is currently unknown. Sometimes people attempt suicide by standing on the tracks, other times there is some type of mistake or negligence that leads to a person being hit by a train.

California train accident injuries and deaths occur frequently and the legal ramifications depend on the reason for the incident. If the train operator or designer was negligent, causing the injuries, victims will be able to make a personal injury claim or their families may make a wrongful death claim against the train company, which can include Amtrak, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), or other entities.

Pedestrian Killed in Riverside Metrolink Train Accident

February 9, 2011 | by Robert Walch

According to the Los Angeles Times, a Metrolink train accident has killed a girl in Riverside, California. The Metrolink Train hit the pedestrian on Tuesday. The girl who was hit by the train in Riverside, who was a minor, passed away as a result of the impact.

According to the Riverside Police Department, who interviewed witnesses, the girl allegedly waited for a freight train to pass. After the train passed, the girl, who probably believed it was safe, walked around barricades and was hit by a Metrolink train. According to witnesses, the girl also ignored warning lights and bells of the Metrolink train. Unfortunately, this could have been due to the noise from the freight train.

If it is proved that Metrolink was negligent, the girl’s family may have a Riverside wrongful death claim. Investigators will have to determine if the warnings were sufficient and whether a different type of warning, possibly one that indicates that two trains would be passing, should have been used to prevent this tragic death.

We have seen in the past how people wait for a train to pass and immediately cross tracks after the train, not realizing that a second train could be approaching from a different direction, blocked off from site by the first train. For this reason, it is always important to follow all railroad track warnings and never to cross the tracks until it is completely safe to do so. As can be seen, attempting to save a few seconds by crossing a railroad barricade before it goes up can lead to tragic train accident injuries and/or death.

Metrolink Train Kills 1 in Sylmar

January 19, 2011 | by Robert Walch

On Tuesday, January 18, 2011, at around 8:00 p.m., a man was killed after being struck by a Metrolink train in Sylmar, California. It is unknown why the man, who was 19 years old, was hit by the train. The Los Angeles train accident happened near where Pierce Street intersects with San Fernando Road, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

According to the Los Angeles Times, who analyzed data from 1993 to September of 2008, three Metrolink accidents, apparently none involving injures or deaths, occurred at that intersection. Interestingly, one block north of where this train v. pedestrian accident happened, where the trains cross Van Nuys Boulevard, there have been eight accidents which have resulted in five deaths and one injury, during the same time period.

Unless the cause of the train accident in Los Angeles was a suicide attempt by the pedestrian killed in the accident, the family of the victim should hire a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer to investigate the cause of the accident and whether there was any fault attributable to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.