Train accidents always leave behind a wake of destruction in many different ways. People are almost always badly injured, many are tragically killed and the property damage is also severe. Sadly, this appears to be the case once again as a Washington, D.C. Metro train crash tore the city apart yesterday. As of this writing, the death total sits at seven, while at least 76 people were taken to the hospital with injuries.
According to CNN:
“The crash occurred just before 5 p.m. on an above-ground track in the District of Columbia near the border with Takoma Park, Maryland.
Both trains were on the same track, and one of them was stationary when the crash happened, said John Catoe, Metro general manager.
The investigators “are going to look very carefully at the event recorder in the train that hit the stopped train,” he said. “Unfortunately, in a number of train accidents recently, both in Boston and in Southern California, you had the engineer being distracted. My hope is that’s not the case here.”
In a Boston trolley accident in May and a commuter train accident near Los Angeles last fall, the operators were sending text messages just before the accidents. Since then, the California Public Utilities Commission has banned train engineers from using cell phones on duty.
The Washington transit authority told investigators that trains normally operate in automatic mode at rush hour, Hersman said, adding that investigators were trying to determine whether that was true during the accident.”
Clearly, this is a story that will continue to be covered for days as new facts are uncovered. Perhaps the most critical to many is the determination of how this accident occurred. If you or someone you love has been injured or worse in a train accident, contact the attorneys at the Phillips National Injury Group today to schedule a free initial consultation.
Tue, Jun 23, 2009
Train Accidents