California Personal Injury Blog - Railroad Accidents

Train Smashes into Truck on Railroad Tracks

Chrissie Cole — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 07:52:45 GMT

An Amtrak train traveling northbound struck a large truck that was parked next to the railroad tracks, on Tuesday night. The train accident happened at 9:25 p.m., the driver of the truck was not at the scene and no one was injured.

The big rig was parked to close to the train tracks, according to California Highway Patrol.

Authorities are investigating the accident and are unsure why the truck was left alongside the tracks. At this time CHP is trying to determine who was driving the truck prior to the accident.

The train was coming from San Diego and heading to Santa Barbara, transporting 150 passengers who were evacuated as a result of the fires which have been burning in San Diego County all week.

Amtrak provided buses that picked up the passengers for the remainder of their trip. The rest of the passengers were picked up by friends and family.

The train received some damage in the accident but the railroad tracks were not damaged.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Gold Line Train Hits Car at Crossing

Shannon Weidemann — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:55:54 GMT

A Gold Line commuter train running between Los Angeles and Pasadena hit an SUV at a crossing on Friday. The driver of the SUV was hurt in the train accident, as well as five other people. The accident happened at Avenue 50 and Marmion Way. Authorities believe the woman was trying to beat the train. There are flashing lights and bells at the train crossing and they were working at the time of the accident.

"We don't know why she did not stop at the gate," said V.J. Khawani, director of corporate safety for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. "Why do people go through red traffic signals and not stop? I really don't know."

The SUV caught on fire and the driver had to be pulled to safety by good samaritans. The woman is reported to be in stable condition at a local hospital.

If you would like to read more about train accidents, please visit InjuryBoard's Train Accidents information page.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Two Killed In Pedestrian-Train Accidents within Hours

Chrissie Cole — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 07:49:21 GMT

Two pedestrians were killed within a nine-hour span of one another, Thursday, in two separate railroad accidents in the Bay Area.

Union Pacific officials report a Newark woman was killed after being struck by a freight train at 3:04 a.m. while walking across the train tracks on Cedar Blvd. The accident is currently under investigation.

Barely eight hours after the first accident authorities across the San Francisco Bay in San Mateo, reported an unidentified pedestrian was killed after being struck by a Caltrain commuter train.

The train was traveling north when it struck the pedestrian at the 9th Avenue at 11:40 a.m., according to a Caltrain spokesman. The pedestrian-train accident is being investigated by Transit Police and San Mateo Police.

In 2006, California had the second highest number of deaths at train crossings with 36 fatalities, according to Operation Livesaver. Texas had the most deaths, 42.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Metro Blue Line Train Hits Truck

Shannon Weidemann — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 18:03:58 GMT

A Metro Blue Line train got into a car accident in Los Angeles when it collided with a truck. The train accident was on the rail line between Los Angeles and Long Beach. Rail travel between the two cities was affected.

The accident took place at 5:26 p.m. at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Maple Avenue, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Helen Gilstrap.
At least three people were taken to medical centers, he said, but an MTA official described their injuries as minor.

Buses were used to ferry passengers between the affected stations. At least six people were hurt in the train accident.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Airline, Cruise, Bus, and Other Mass Transit.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Four Injured when Train Collides with Big Rig

Chrissie Cole — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 21:18:56 GMT

Due to miscommunication, four people were injured in a train accident when an Amtrak train crashed into a big rig on Friday, leaving passengers stranded for hours.

Tire Yard of Omaha that belongs to the train maintenance company was crossing the tracks to prepare for work when the train suddenly came around the bend. The train, traveling at 50 to 60 mph hit the truck on the driver's side, according to California Highway Patrol.

The truck driver escaped the truck, he was transported by helicopter to John Muir Medical Center where is condition is unknown at this time.

Upon impact of the collision, the train engineer may have suffered heart problems, according to CHP. It took rescuers over two hours to remove the engineer from the train so he could be transported to the hospital.

Two passengers suffered minor injuries.

The crew foreman repairing the train said there was a miscommunication between his employees and the flag crew that was responsible for alerting them. Why the crew was not alerted to the train approaching is being investigated by officials.

For more information on this subject matter, please review our section on Airline, Cruise, Bus, and Other Mass Transit Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Ohio Man Hit by Train While Texting on Phone

Shannon Weidemann — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 18:18:39 GMT

A man was trying to cross the railroad tracks in Elmwood Place, Ohio while using his cell phone to send a text message. He missed one train but didn't see the train coming down the other set of tracks. He was hit by the second train. The railroad accident happened on Monday morning.

Witnesses said the man waited for a southbound train to pass, put his head down and started walking across the tracks.
The man apparently did not see or hear a northbound train as it approached, witnesses said.

The man was hurt and taken to a local hospital for treatment. His condition is unknown. The police are investigating the accident.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Mass Transit Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Man Drives Car Onto Train Tracks in San Onofre

Shannon Weidemann — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 12:26:08 GMT

A car that was driven onto train tracks in San Onofre delayed the Metrolink trains by 20 minutes while the railroad accident scene had to be cleaned up. A man was driving his car on the I-5 freeway when he went off the freeway and onto the tracks. No trains were involved in the accident.

The car crashed though the fence about 2:30 p.m. but managed to avoid being hit by oncoming trains. Rangers from San Onofre State Park called firefighters and California Highway Patrol officers to help clear the car, said Chief Ed Fleming of the Orange County Fire Authority. Firefighters from Camp Pendleton helped with the rescue effort.

The driver of the car was hurt, but had no serious injuries. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Carpinteria Train Accident Kills Man

Shannon Weidemann — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 13:04:31 GMT

A business owner in Carpinteria was killed while trying to rescue his dog from an oncoming train. The railroad accident happened on Saturday afternoon on Santa Claus Lane. It was near the victim's business.

Sheriff's investigators said Shapiro died while trying to rescue his best friend.
"Shapiro was walking his dog along a set of train tracks when a train's horn signaled it's approach when his dog failed to move out of his way, shapiro tried to save him."

The 60-year-old man and his 10-year-old dog were both hit by the train and killed. The train did not have time to stop. The man would bring his dog to work with him.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Florida Woman Hit by Freight Train

Shannon Weidemann — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 14:01:57 GMT

A woman out for a job in Pompano Beach, Florida was hit by a freight train Thursday morning. Her legs were severed in the railroad accident. She was taken to a local hospital to be treated for her injuries.

Authorities did not know how she ended up in the path of the train Thursday morning, but rescue workers speculated she did not hear the locomotive coming because she was listening to her iPod.

The engineer on the train did not know he had hit anyone. She was spotted by a sheriff's deputy along the tracks. The woman is expected to recover from the accident.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Airlines, Cruises, Buses, and Other Mass Transit Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Lawsuit Settled Over California Train Accident

Shannon Weidemann — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 11:18:54 GMT

Union Pacific Railroad has settled a lawsuit filed by more than 40 people over a railroad accident that happened in 2003. Box cars came unhooked from a train and crashed into houses and injured people. The train accident happened in Commerce.

David Benjamin, an attorney for the families, says an agreement was reached with more than 40 people from several families during day-long negotiations yesterday before an L-A County Superior Court judge.
Details of the settlement were not disclosed but he says, "for us it comes out a very happy ending" after four years of legal action.

The investigation into the accident revealed the box cars were not fastened properly, allowing 31 cars to derail.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann