Another fatal train accident has taken place on the east coast. This one occurred yesterday in Philadelphia and the preliminary investigating seems to indicate that the cause of the accident was conductor error. According to the unnamed sources, the so called “black boxes” which were recovered from the crash scene indicate that the train was travelling at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. The accident occurred as the train attempted to negotiate a curve in the tracks where trains are not to exceed 50 miles per hour. So far, eight people are confirmed dead and hundreds more have been injured. There is a criminal investigation underway.
At Silverman Thompson, we have been handling train accident cases since 1996 when we successfully sued on behalf of the family of a student who was killed in the tragic MARC Train accident in Silver Spring Maryland. Since that time we have handled dozens of cases involving train derailments or trains striking vehicles or pedestrians. These cases are extremely complicated and require a deep understanding of both Federal and State law in this area. Please contact us for further information.