Train accidents are less frequent than car or taxi accidents, motorcycle, pedestrian, and even boat accidents. Fortunately, a train accident is not what you encounter every day. This may be a result of several precautionary steps taken to avert such incidence. But when they do occur, they are nothing less than colossal, a tragedy to say the least.
Why you should contact a train accident attorney: A train accident can lead to the loss of property, death, and severe injuries. More painful is when such an accident is caused by the negligence of someone who ought to have known better. The aftermath can be grave. Here is what you need to know about train accidents and why you should contact a train accident attorney in Florida. First, here are some statistics.
Train Accident Statistics in the United States
Although train accidents are less frequent than car accidents, this does not mean they are not uncommon. They happen more frequently than you think. Let us get to the figures.
- In the United States alone, there is an estimated 130,000 miles of train track
- It is estimated that trains kill 1 person every 100 minutes.
- Unprotected crossings account for half of all railroad accidents
- According to the Federal Railroad Administration (an arm of the U.S Department of Transportation), in the year 2021, there were 2,131 collisions, 237 fatalities, and 653 deaths in train mishaps
- Nearly 1000 people are killed in train-related accidents in the United States
Train Accident Statistics in Florida
- According to the Federal Railroad Administration Statistics, 2,131 highway-rail grade crossing collisions occurred in 2021. Florida ranked number 6 on the list with 95 collisions, 24 deaths, and 45 injuries.
- According to FRA statistics, 1,151 pedestrian rail trespass casualties (fatalities + injuries) occurred in 2021. Florida ranked number 3 with 59 total causalities, 38 deaths, and 21 injuries.
- Train accidents have been on the increase in Florida
Causes of Train Accidents
- Negligence
- Rail derailment
- Multiple Train Collision
- Human Error
- Poor maintenance of railway tracks
- Faculty rail tracks
- Crashes with cars, buses, and other vehiclesÂ
- Signal Problems
- Mechanical Failure
- Faulty railroad crossing
- Stationary vehicle or object on railway track
- Vandalism
- Suicide
- Disobeying railroad crossing
Injuries that could be sustained in a train accident.
When a person is a victim of a train accident, several injury types can be caused. Injuries common to train accidents are:
- Backbone Injuries
- Head Injuries
- Spinal Cord Injuries
- Mutilation
- Permanent disfigurement
- Amputation
- Concussion
- Damaged nerves
- Brain Injuries
Many victims of train accidents live with the impact of the accident for the rest of their lives. A train accident can be traumatic. Long-term conditions like disfigurement, loss of limb and paralysis loss of brain function, cognitive disabilities, and even death can happen to victims of train accidents when the accident is severe.
Who can be injured in a train accident?
Wouldn’t we sound pessimistic if we say that just about anybody can suffer from an injury from a train mishap? We all hope it does not happen to us or to someone we love. But train accidents are more frequent than people think and sadly one person gets killed in a train accident every 100 minutes, and many more suffer life-long injuries and impairments. In a train mishap, any of the classes of persons below can be adversely affected
- The passenger or passengers
- The train driver
- Pedestrians
- Motorists
How Can a Train Accident Affect Your Life?
The impact of a train accident can be gruesome. It can even be more difficult for the victims of the crash. A train accident can impact a person’s life in several ways. Asides from physical injuries from the crash, a person may spend the next few months in and out of the hospital and may find it difficult to keep a job that will serve as a means of livelihood.
The impact of the crash may leave a person with physical and psychological traumas that may be difficult to recover from. Psychological traumas often occur when one person loses another as a result of the crash. The trauma of losing a person who is dear to you can be a psychological impact of a train mishap.
Why you Should Contact a Train Accident Attorney
In this kind of situation, you may not be able to pursue your right by yourself. Rather, you should consider briefing an experienced train accident lawyer. Train accident scenarios and cases can be dicey. You should not go into negotiations all by yourself. A train accident attorney can help you determine the worth of your claim and fight to help you receive the financial compensation that you deserve.
If negligence caused the accident, you can receive compensation in the form of damages which will cover the expenses incurred because of the accident. This is the law in Florida. You can recover damages for
- Medical bills
- Loss of wages and Loss of opportunity
- Diminished quality of life
- Pain and suffering
- Expenses incurred as a result of the accident
- Loss and damage of properties
- Future damages
Future damages cover expenses such as medical expenses and other expenses that the victim may likely incur in the future as related to the injury. Damages will cover not only past incurred expenses but likely future expenses.
In the settlement, it is necessary to contact an experienced train accident attorney. A skilled train accident attorney can help to include possible future expenses in your settlement award, he or she can through the help of finance experts determine the worth of your future damages.
Useful Links
https://oli.org/track-statistics/collisions-fatalities-state
https://oli.org/track-statistics/trespassing-casualties-state
