There was a huge fireball as a CSX freight train crashed south of Louisville, Kentucky today.
CSX, as one of the two East coast railroad companies, puts many communities at risk. This freight train derailed with tank cars containing hazardous material forcing the evacuation of residents in Bullitt County. Our firm has represented victims of railroad train wrecks for years. We are currently representing families injured in the Graniteville, SC train wreck, where Norfolk Southern dumped chlorine into a small town. We also are representing railroad workers hurt when two CSX trains ran head on into each other near Franklin, VA. Freight trains are huge objects. Each car weighs over 400,000 lbs. When trains derail or crash, the impact is incredible. Tragically, we have seen more than a few clients who got killed or brain injured by crossing accidents or in situations where trains derail.
The scare of train crashes is even worse when they are carrying tanks loaded with hazardous materials. The chemical fire during the Kentucky train derailment was so bad that air traffic had to be diverted around the area. My heart goes out to the residents in the zone of danger and to the crew members who were exposed to this horrific train wreck.
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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