Mass Transit Accidents – Trains
On October 24, 2013, one person died and 52 suffered injuries when two trains on a Tibetan line collided. It appears that an empty passenger train was on the wrong track and it collided with another train coming from the provincial capital, Xining. Investigations are taking place into how the empty train wound up on the wrong track.
On an average weekday, nearly 900,000 passengers board buses, rails, and van-pools of New Jersey’s transportation network. Out of those 900k, 281,576 are riding mass transit commuter trains and light rail trains, including the PATH.
While mass transit accidents are rare, they do happen. For instance, the derailment of a PATH train in Hoboken a few years back injured dozens of people. The train did not make its Hoboken stop, and instead slammed into a barricade – called a bumper block, similar to a curb – and then ran right into the platform. Thankfully, no one was killed.
Also, in 1996, two New Jersey Transit commuter trains carrying 700-plus passengers collided in Jersey City after one of the trains failed to halt at a signal stop. In the crash, 162 people were injured. Both engineers and one passenger were killed.
The Federal Railroad Administration’s Office of Safety Analysis notes that tract defects cause nearly 35 percent of railroad train crashes, human mistakes were at play in 38 percent, and defects in equipment and signals caused 14 percent of train crashes.
Help for the Injured – Contact New Jersey Attorney Harold Gerr
If you are facing a difficult recovery after being involved in a New Jersey mass transit train accident, the office of Harold J. Gerr, in central New Jersey, is here to help. We have been fighting for the rights of the injured for three decades. When you are dealing with significant injuries and the trauma of such an accident you should not have to fight to figure out what happened or how to pay our medical bills.
Our personal injury law firm carefully selects the cases we handle, so that we can provide the highest levels of service and personal attention to each client. We are also happy to take over your case, if your first lawyer does not seem to have your best interests in mind. Contact us online or call our office at 732-537-8570 (toll-free at
1-877-249-4600).
