Residents of Elmira, New York (NY), claim there is no safe place to cross train tracks near Southside High School. Perhaps illustrating this more tragically than anyone wanted, a man has been struck and killed by a Norfolk Southern train at South Main and West Miller streets. The fatal crash has not stopped high school kids from walking home along those very same dangerous tracks.
As a Virginia (VA) railroad accident attorney, I know it’s the responsibility of the railroad to maintain the tracks and keep them safe. Fencing off trestles and railways in areas with high foot trafic can deter people from walking into the paths of oncoming trains. In fact, the Federal Highway Administration estimates that gates prevent more than 8 times as many grade crossing deaths as stop signs.
Rail companies call pedestrian deaths and injuries on railroad tracks “trespassing incidents.” I think the family of the man killed in Elmira would call it something different.
My colleagues and I have handled rail injury cases in nearly every eastern U.S. state. We've also written two in-depth, special reports on FELA rights for railroad workers and tricks employed by railroad claim agents. If you or a loved one has been the victim of an accident on railroad tracks or at a crossing, take the time to read our reports.
CT
About the Editors: The Shapiro, 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.
