Train Accident
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.Philadelphia, PA
According to SEPTA, a pedestrian was struck by a train late Thursday morning.
The incident occurred at 5th and Market Streets on the Market/Frankford Line by the 5th Street station exit.
The victim’s condition is unknown at this time.
Boston, MA
A commuter rail train heading through Fitchburg went off the tracks Tuesday night during the snowstorm.
Philadelphia, PA
Investigators are probing what caused a train derailment in Chester County Wednesday morning.
The derailment happened at about 10 a.m. in the 1000 block of South 1st Avenue in Coatesville.
Baltimore, MD
A pedestrian was struck and killed by an Amtrak train in Middle River Tuesday morning, according to Amtrak and Baltimore County emergency officials.
San Antonio, TX
Terre Haute, IN
Saturday, Vigo County Sheriff's Deputies along with Indiana State Police and Otter Creek Fire Department responded to a motor vehicle collision involving a minivan and a CSX Railroad train near the intersection of Evans Ave and Dwelling Rd.
Trenton-NJ
Officials are investigating a train accident that killed a man and injured a woman in Trenton.
Officials say an NJ Transit train was traveling northbound on the River Line shortly before 6 p.m. when it struck a car that somehow got stuck on the tracks at Lalor Street and Route 129.