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.Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, FL
Philadelphia, PA
Police say a man was killed after being struck by a train in Wilmington, Delaware early Thursday morning.
The accident happened around 12:30 a.m. at 12th and Claymont Streets.
According to police, the man was found on a railroad overpass.
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
Hattiesburg-Laurel, MS
A car-carrier freight train derailed early Friday morning in Jones County.
The accident happened around 4:15 a.m. under the Highway 590 overpass, near Jones Community College in Ellisville.
Idaho Falls-Pocatello, ID
Authorities in eastern Idaho are investigating a collision between a passenger vehicle and a train south of Pocatello that injured a 21-year-old man.
Houston, TX
There was a brief delay in rail service after a Metro Rail train slammed into a vehicle Wednesday afternoon near NRG Park, formerly known as Reliant Park.
The crash caused no fatalities.
Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, CA
The Sacramento County coroner’s office has identified the man killed after his car was hit by a train Wednesday night.
Trenton-NJ
Greensboro-High Point-Winston Salem, NC
A person was taken to the hospital after a truck and a train collided in Greensboro Monday afternoon.
The collision happened at National Pipe and Plastics at 9609 W. Market St. in Colfax.