When train accidents occur, the results can be immense and overwhelming. The size and speed of trains brings death and destruction and when things go wrong. The main forms of train accidents are train derailments, train and pedestrian accidents, and train and car accidents. (http://www.angelsontrack.org/cts/ctsfacts.html )
Train Derailments
A train derails about every ninety minutes in the US. This is because railroads are effectively self-regulated and few attempts have been made to examine or improve their safety by the federal government. Rail companies rely on technology that was developed seventy years ago, and in that time few measures have been made to improve safety. While few people are killed in these accidents, train derailments cause damage to property, and in some cases the environment. A train carrying hazardous materials derails about every two weeks. Sometimes this situations are so serious that local residents need to be evacuated.
Pedestrian Related Accidents
Being near trains either at a station, a crossing, or just the tracks themselves is always a hazardous activity as a pedestrian. Around three hundred people die in train related accidents in the US each year. (http://oli.org/about-us/news/collisions-casulties) A good portion of these deaths are suicides but many of these deaths are not by design. Hitching a ride on a moving train is a very dangerous activity practiced by many that results in grievous injuries and often death. Sometimes a pedestrian will fall into the path of a train and be unable to get out of the way before the train passes.
Car Related Accidents
Railroad crossings are a very dangerous place for motorists if not approached with the proper caution. There are about 5,800 car related train accidents each year in the US and the majority of these occur at railroad crossings. (http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/default.aspx ) It is important to be patient at a railroad crossing and don’t push your luck when the crossing lights go off. Don’t think the train will see you or be able to stop if you get stuck on the tracks. A one hundred and fifty car freight train traveling at fifty miles an hour takes over a mile to stop.
Another common form of car/train accident occurs when the car driver is unable to see the train and runs into it. This happens most often at night and at crossings with inadequate warning devices. According to some studies, 80% of railroad crossings in the US do not have adequate warning devices.
Accident Date:
Mon, 02/17/2014A car was hit by a Northstar train in Elk River on Tuesday.
According to the Sherburne County Sheriff's Office, the crash occurred at Highway 10 and Jackson Avenue.
Both northbound and southbound Northstar trains struck a vehicle north of Elk River, according to Metro Transit.
Accident Date:
Fri, 02/14/2014Authorities say two men are dead following a weekend collision between a freight train and a pickup truck in Genesee County.
Accident Date:
Sun, 02/16/2014A 30-year-old snowmobiler died after colliding with a train in Brainerd.
The crash occurred around 1:30 p.m. Sunday on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Line underpass.
Accident Date:
Fri, 02/14/2014A Metro-North train on the Danbury line struck a van at the Glover Avenue railroad crossing in Norwalk Saturday evening, according to officials.
The northbound train was stopped for over an hour after it struck a white cargo van crossing the tracks at around 6:30 p.m.
Accident Date:
Fri, 02/14/2014A person was struck and killed by a Muni train at the Powell station in San Francisco on Saturday afternoon, according to a fire lieutenant.
Accident Date:
Wed, 02/05/2014An RTD light rail train and an SUV crashed in downtown Denver Thursday afternoon just as the afternoon rush was beginning.
Accident Date:
Wed, 02/05/2014A 19-year-old Fredonia man was able to safely flee his vehicle after it got stuck on railroad tracks at a crossing on Central Avenue before a Norfolk Southern train crashed into it shortly after around 10 p.m. Wednesday, Chautauqua County Sheriff’s officials report.
Accident Date:
Tue, 02/04/2014Metro trains were stopped on both sides of the Dupont Circle station Wednesday night for about 30 minutes after a person was struck by a train there, transit officials said.
Accident Date:
Tue, 02/04/2014One person is dead and another is injured after a truck vs. train collision in Baldwin, Wis., Wednesday.
The St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office said a pick-up truck was leaving a business in the 2200 block of U.S. Highway 21 around noon.
Accident Date:
Mon, 02/03/2014Officials were called to York Township just west of Milan for a crash involving a train and a vehicle around 2 p.m., police confirmed.