Railroad Accident Cases in Arkansas
It’s disturbing to imagine a train colliding with a car or a person, yet it happens. The Federal Railroad Administration reports 2,373 rail incidents at public and private crossings nationwide in 2008 with nine deaths in Arkansas. Most recently, in March 2009, a train struck a University of Arkansas student, severing one of his hands and critically injuring him. News outlets reported that the train’s engineer saw the young man on the tracks but was unable to stop in time.
Railroad Accidents
That tragic accident illustrates the debilitating results that occur when trains strike pedestrians. Common problems include limb amputation, brain trauma, burns, spinal cord injuries, fractures, and more. Another well-known railroad accident happened in Lafayette County in 2003 involving a motorist and a Union Pacific train. The $12.5 million settlement is considered one of the largest railroad crossing settlements in Arkansas’s history. The railroad accident attorneys at The Hershewe Law Firm encourage drivers and pedestrians to use caution and follow common railroad safety guidelines when approaching or walking near rail lines in Arkansas. Unfortunately, accidents involving pedestrians and cars are not the only types of railroad accident that happen.
Property Damage
A collision occurred between two Union Pacific trains in Texarkana, Arkansas in 2005. An explosion occurred along with the release of propylene, a compressed flammable gas. Three thousand residents were evacuated when the gas traveled into a nearby neighborhood. The National Transportation Safety Board later ruled that members of one of the train crews failed to remain alert enough to notice a standing train on the track. Collisions such as this one are responsible for large amounts of property damage as well as personal injuries each year. Consider that a typical locomotive weighs approximately 400,000 pounds (200 tons). Add an additional 6,000 tons 100 railcars were attached. The weight and speed of a train determines how quickly it can stop under ideal conditions. A 100-car freight train traveling at 55 miles per hour needs more than a mile to stop once the train is set into emergency braking.
If you need guidance about an Arkansas railroad crossing accident or more information about railroad safety, contact The Hershewe Law Firm for a free consultation.
