One of the things that are generally an advantage of passengers trains as a form of transportation is that they can transport a lot of people at once. When train accidents occur, however, this advantage can quickly turn into a disadvantage. Given how many passengers trains can have, the death and injury counts can be very high in train accidents. This is illustrated all too tragically in a train derailment that occurred yesterday in Philadelphia.
Last night, an Amtrak train was traveling through Philadelphia on its way to New York. At around 9:30 p.m., while the train was in an area where the track takes a sharp curve, the train derailed.
It is estimated that nearly 250 people were aboard the train at the time of the accident. The accident had some devastating results; currently, the death count for the accident is at seven and the count of injured individuals is around 200.
The investigation into the accident is already underway. There is a wide range of different things the investigation will look at to try to pin down the exact cause of the accident, such as the train’s data recorder, video footage of the accident and the condition of the tracks in the area where the accident occurred.
A detail that has come out is that it is believed that the train was going about double the authorized maximum speed of the area it was in at the time of the accident.
Injuries suffered in a train accident can be incredibly impactful in nature and the legal and compensation issues that can arise in connection to this type of motor vehicle accident can be remarkably complex. Consequently, when a person has been the victim of a train accident, having skilled and experienced legal guidance can be of considerable help.
Thus, if you were injured or involved in this terrible train accident, you should consider contacting a local attorney.
Source: The Washington Post, “Train was traveling 100 mph in 50-mph zone, sources say,” Ashley Halsey III, Julie Zauzmer and Dana Hedgpeth, May 13, 2015