New York Injury Talk Blog

A 63-year-old woman was hit and killed by a Metro-North Train in Norwalk Connecticut. According to a 1010wins.com recent news report, investigators are still looking into the exact cause of the incident. The woman was immediately north of the South Norwalk station when she was hit.

Trains can be a safe and efficient way to travel, but accidents do happen from time to time. According to the Federal Railroad Administration Office of Safety Analysis, there were 10,529 incidents in 2009 involving 713 total fatalities. Some of these incidents include personal injuries where a driver or pedestrian are at fault, while others may be the result of negligent operation of the train resulting in personal injury or fatality.

One recent example of this was when a Chatsworth Metrolink crash lead to the death of 25 passengers and many more injured in the Los Angeles area. In this particular instance, it is believed that the engineer was text messaging while driving the train. Rightly so, those involved filed personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits against Metrolink. Whether you have been involved in a similar large scale commuter train crash or you are a pedestrian who has been struck by a train, you have legal rights if you have been injured as a result of someone else's negligence. You could seek compensation for your injuries, damages and losses.

If you or someone you know has been injured or killed in a train, bus or vehicle collision as a result of someone else's negligence, please call the skilled New York train accident injury attorneys at Wingate, Russotti and Shapiro LLP to schedule your free consultation. We will fight for your rights, conduct an independent investigation and make sure that the negligent parties are held accountable for their actions.

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Two people were injured after a New Jersey Transit train caught fire on its way to New York City. According to a CBS news report, the train was traveling from Atlantic City to New York City when passengers noticed smoke in a cabin. Riders were forced out while crew members attempted to put out the fire. The fire apparently started in the diesel engine and burned itself out. Passengers reported seeing flames of up to 20 feet shooting up from the roof of the train.

There may be many factors that contribute to a train accident. These include derailment, collision with another vehicle or train, mechanical failure, malfunctions, or operator negligence. In train accidents that are caused by operator negligence or mechanical failure as a result of poor vehicle maintenance, the transit authority could be held liable for the accident and injuries caused. In such cases, injured victims could seek compensation for medical expenses, loss of pay, cost of hospitalization and other related expenses.

Continue reading "New Jersey Transit Train Fire Causes Injuries" »

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A 44-year-old man suffered serious injuries after he was pinned under a tractor-trailer that became disabled on the Long Island railroad tracks. The man was then struck by a locomotive at the Long Island City grade crossing, according to this report in New York Newsday. Officials said the Long Island train accident occurred as the man tried to help free a tractor-trailer that had become stuck on the railroad grade crossing as a train approached. The man was trying to lift the safety gate but the locomotive crashed into the truck pushing it more than 30 feet along the tracks. The injured victim was transported to the hospital.

In most serious injury cases, be it an auto accident in New York or a train accident in Long Island, it costs the injured victim and his or her family a lot of money to pay for medical costs and related expenses. Many victims also take a heavy loss because of lost income. It could take these victims weeks or months to completely recover from their injuries and return to a normal life. If an accident was not your fault or was caused by someone else’s negligence, it is in your best interest to retain the services of an experienced Long Island personal injury attorney who will help protect your rights and secure fair compensation for the injuries, damages and loss suffered.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a New York auto accident or train accident, please contact a knowledgeable and skilled New York auto accident lawyer at Wingate, Russotti & Shapiro, LLP for a free consultation and case evaluation. Call us today to get more information about your legal rights and options.

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A 47-year-old woman who had suffered serious spinal injuries from a fall while boarding a Metro-North Railroad car has been recently awarded more than $500,000, The Journal News reports. According to the article, Karen McIlvenny, 47 slipped on the icy platform of the Brewster train station while boarding, causing her to fall into the gap between the car and the platform.

The December 2003 accident had caused “permanent injuries" to McIlvenny’s sacroiliac joint, found at the base of the spine, and her pelvic bone and will require long-term medical care, the report said. State Supreme Court Justice Andrew O'Rourke of Putnam County awarded McIlvenny $518,000 in compensation, including $228,000 in lost income, $250,000 for physical pain and mental suffering, and $40,000 for out-of-pocket expenses.

Continue reading "New York Train Accident Victim Wins Award" »

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A bill sponsored by New Jersey Democratic Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan seeks to ban train conductors and bus drivers from text messaging or sending e-mails when their vehicles are moving. According to this news report, only emergency electronic communication would be allowed under this particular bill.

Introducing this bill is a result of a fatal commuter train crash that occurred in California last year killing 25 people and injuring close to 150. The Metrolink engineer involved in the accident was apparently sending a text message 22 seconds before the catastrophic collision with a freight train. Diegnan said that he believes some people have become so addicted to these electronic devices that they expose other people to grave danger without even thinking about it. New Jersey already has a ban in place for texting or talking on a hand-held cell phone while driving.

Continue reading "Bill Seeks Ban on Electronic Devices by Train Operators" »

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After yet another malfunction on the New Jersey Transit system where a door opened while the train was moving and passengers were inches away from falling to the tracks below, a rail industry consultant wondered out loud whether New Jersey Transit might be cutting corners on safety and maintenance in its attempt to keep up with record demand.

Several passengers were frightened when the doors opened while the train was moving along the tracks, and Lauren Papapietra, a 21 year-old senior at Monmouth University who works at a public relations firm in Manhattan described the near train accident, “I was scared to death. I kind of trust New Jersey Transit to get me back and forth, and I really hope this doesn’t happen again.” While riders are routinely advised not to stand between cars they sometimes feel the need to do so during rush hour where there is standing room only.

Patrick Reilly, chairman of the United Transportation Union, local 60, which represents the New Jersey Transit’s conductors indicated that the railroad is more interested in keeping ‘on time’ schedules, not safety, and that cars needing maintenance are being put into service instead of staying in the yard and being fixed.

The Federal Railroad Administration does not request information from commuter railroads on reports of doors opening while the train is in motion. Further, the American Public Transportation Association, an industry group who keeps statistics of railroad accident incidents also does not request reports of doors opening.

Continue reading "Near Railroad Accident Occurs When Train Doors Malfunction" »

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According to the New York Times, an eight-car East-bound train uncoupled, stunning riders, during evening rush hour earlier this month. The incident, confirmed by Dan Stessel, a spokesman for the New Jersey Transit was confirmed as having happened on February 22nd, and has drawn criticism from the conductor’s union. There were more than 600 shaken passengers on the train at the time of the uncoupling, and it took an hour for workers to reattach the cars. According to the Times, the train was moving approximately five miles an hour when steel couplers which connected the second and third cars separated, leaving them several feet from one another and a potential new york train accident risk. The brakes were immediately activated, and no injuries were reported.

Couplers resemble two hands palm to palm and it appears a piece of debris hit those coupled hands with enough force to cause them to separate, although the actual debris was not identified.

The New Jersey Transit authorities instructed the crew to divert all passengers to the next stop-Newark Liberty International Airport.

According to Patrick F. Reilly, the general chairman of the United Transportation Union, which represents the 1,100 conductors who work for New Jersey Transit, the decision to restart the train with passengers still aboard, was a bad one. Reilly commented that all passengers should have immediately been removed from the train and the train taken out-of-service. Passenger Rick Smith, a 37-year-old graphics designer said, “We were just praying that we got to the next stop in one piece, without the train coming apart again.”

Continue reading "TRAIN UNCOUPLES - STUNNING RIDERS" »

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