Minutes after leaving Penn Station a train bound for New Jersey derailed Mon. Oct 25. The train derailed while traveling only 15 miles per hour and authorities are unclear what caused the derailment. Commuters were delayed up to 60 minutes for the remainder of the day well into the evening. The accident comes in the wake of controversy over Governor Christie’s reluctance to expand train service from based on budgetary constraints. The expansion of the rail service would double trains from New Jersey to New York. Fortunately, none of the 300 passengers on the train were injured and were escorted to the station.
Derailments occur due to a number of reasons such as debris or obstructions on the rail lines or simple human error. A train car weighs 3000 pounds and if they contain freight they reach weights up to several hundred tons. A train can cause extensive damage to property and personal injury sometimes even death due to their massive weight and velocity. According to the Department of Transportation there are an average of 5,800 train accidents annually in the United States. The accidents injure about 2,300 people of those 600 will be killed. Nearly half of those fatalities are caused by inadequate or non-existent safety devices at railroad crossings.
Being injured in a train accident isn’t as likely as motor vehicle accident but they do happen especially for commuters. If you are injured in a rail mishap you should contact an accident attorney. An accident may be caused by error on the part of the rail company. The best way to get the deserved compensation for your injury would be to contact an accident attorney. A rail company will have people on their side to limit their liability so the best defense in getting the necessary aid is the counsel of an accident attorney.
