With Norfolk’s new light rail, The Tide, set to open on August 19, 2011, Hampton Roads Transit drivers are gearing up to operate the trains safely. "Being in control of a piece of machinery like this, your level of concentration is high at all times because you’re operating something that can be deadly," Jonathan Greene, 26, an HRT employee recently told the Virginian-Pilot. Greene, along with 24 other train operators, was selected from a pool of local bus drivers. But the training has been much different.
Tide train operators had to score high on reading comprehension and physical agility tests, have nearly perfect driving and attendance records and complete seven weeks of classroom instruction before getting into a train cab. In terms of training, it really seems like HRT has done all it can to put the best of the best at the helm of their near trains.
Tide trains lack steering wheels and brake pedals, so it’s easy to see why operators need so much training. Ensuring that the trains go the proper speeds and enter and leave stations safely and on schedule requires full attention from operators.
With safety as a top priority, light-rail operators have a number of helpful tools to assist them. For instance, a dead man’s switch operators much hold down at all times when a train is in motion ensures the train stops automatically if an operator has a health emergency and cannot control the vehicle.
As a personal injury attorney, I’ve seen the kinds of accidents than can happen when drivers are distracted or sleepy. It’s good to know HRT is taking the necessary steps to prevent such accidents.
CD
About the Editors: The Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm, which has offices in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC), edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as pro bono services.
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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