Speak about advantages and disadvantages of travelling by train.

Text 8.                         TRAIN ACCIDENTS

Although the vast majority of train accidents minor, any time a pedestrian or motor vehicle comes into contact with a moving train, the outcome is almost always tragic. Although the following statistic sounds unrealistic, the fact remains that a train accident occurs every 90 minutes in the United States. Below are some of the common types of train accidents:

• Collision with another train

• Derailment

• Collision with a motor vehicle·

• Accident due to mechanical failure/negligence (e.g. brake failure)

Railroad accident causes:

• Defective railroad tracks

• Aggressive motor vehicle operation - most collisions with automobiles are attributed to aggressive driving)

• Mechanical failure - usually a result of insufficient maintenance staff or funding for repairs

• Heavy cargo loads - heavier loads can result in derailment and other accidents.

Like other "carriers" (e.g. planes, buses) railroad companies must maintain strict safety standards and are ultimately responsible for passenger safety. But since many train accidents involve a government owned or operated company, claims must comply with specific guidelines including strict time constraints for reporting injuries and filing suits.

Arizona Train Accident Cases

Arizona railroad accident lawyer Sam Cullan, MD, and attorney Gene Cullan, MD, have handled many railroad accident cases. A railroad accident can be devastating, often involving catastrophic injury and death. In spite of the fact that railroad safety has been a concern since the late 1800's, there are an alarming number of dangerous railroad crossings throughout the United States. Other types of Arizona

railroad  accident cases a lawyer at attorney Sam Cullan, MD's firm can help with include those involving defective equipment such as crossing lights and guards and derailments. In many cases the train crew may be pressured to meet deadlines and may speed through a community at an illegal speed. The crew may fail to sound the horn to warn the train is approaching. Though most railroad employees are very diligent hard workers, head on collisions may occur due to fatigue or drug use.

Railroad Accident Cases Involving Dangerous Crossings

Many factors need to be analyzed in evaluating whether a crossing is dangerous. One of the main concerns is whether the railroad company failed to maintain the crossing. In spite of federal and state regulations, many railroad companies have allowed vegetation surrounding the crossing to grow out of control thereby making it difficult for the motorist to see an oncoming train. Other crossings may be dangerous due to the angle at which the road and the track meet. The crossing may be too close to the road. The approach to the track may be obstructed due to the grade of a hill. It may be difficult to see the track in both directions due to a curve or the angle they intersect. Warning signs may be missing or inappropriately placed. The track and crossing (including roughness of track, foliage, and signage) may be in such disrepair that the track appears to be abandoned giving the motorist the impression that they do not need to look for a train. In some cases a railroad, city or county may have been ordered to make the crossing safer and failed to do so in timely fashion. If, due to a railroad company's negligence, you or a loved one has been in an Arizona railroad accident, attorney Sam Cullan, MD, and lawyer Gene Cullan, MD, can help you get the fair compensation you are entitled to.

 

Railroad companies send teams to the scene of wreck immediately. When a railroad accident occurs, the Railroad Company immediately dispatches a team of investigators to the scene to protect the railroad company's interests. Frequently, the Railroad Company is notified of the wreck before medical personnel, state patrol or other law enforcement officers are notified. Sometimes, the railroad's team is on site before the state patrol or other local law enforcement officers have arrived or concluded their investigation.

 

It is essential that you quickly have the scene investigated by your own Arizona railroad accident lawyer. Attorney Gene Cullan, MD, has extensive training in accident reconstruction, and will work to insure that evidence is not lost, destroyed or tampered with. We cannot stress how important it is that the injured person's family have a team of experts go to the scene of the train accident. Federal law requires trains be equipped with computers (known as "black boxes") that record data regarding the train. This includes but is not limited to speed, time, ~Taking distance, train, locomotive throttle position, front and end brake pipe pressure, brake pipe reduction, horn and bell use. There are many types of computer data recorders being used. The information can be extremely important in analyzing why a train accident occurred. Expert testimony from a train accident reconstructionist is mandatory.

 

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How frequent are train accidents nowadays? Why?