Commercial vehicle accidents involve vehicles such as airplanes, buses, and trains. Although these types of accidents are less common than passenger vehicle automobiles such as cars and trucks, they are very dangerous when they do occur. These vehicles are much heavier and travel at fast speeds, creating a dangerous environment. Train accidents are some of the most dangerous types of accidents, simply due to the many things that can go wrong in the operation of a train.
Each year, close to 1,000 citizens lose their lives in accidents involving trains. On Monday of this week, a train struck and killed a pedestrian in downtown Acworth. Being so close to home, our attorneys and staff were anxious to hear the cause of the accident. Fortunately, there were no faults on the part of the conductor or railroad company. Though devastating, it was simply an accident. This is not always the case, however. Many times train wrecks are the fault of someone involved in the crash. Because these accidents most often cause deaths, it is important to understand the potential causes of train crashes.
There are a variety of scenarios that can cause railroad accidents, including:
- Train derailment, which often occurs when a train’s equipment malfunctions. When trains derail, there are dangers of colliding with pedestrians, other vehicles, or even spilling hazardous materials.
- Collisions with automobiles, which occurs most often at railroad crossings. This can be due to conductor error, or the crossing equipment not working properly.
- Collision with other trains
- Collision with pedestrians
In each of these situations, it is important that the cause of the railroad crash be determined as soon as possible after an accident. Railroad companies’ insurance companies usually send representatives to the site of the crash to gather evidence and information as soon after the accident as possible, in the event that a law suit is brought against the company. For this reason, it is important for those that have been injured or who lost loved ones in a train accident to contact an experienced railroad accident attorney immediately after an accident.
Georgia train crash lawyers will first investigate the scene of the accident, in an attempt to determine exactly what happened. The cause of the crash will be key in bringing a claim against the railroad company. First, it must be determined whether it was the fault of the victim, conductor, or railroad company before proceeding with a claim. If it is found that the victim was not at fault, the next step is to determine whether the equipment involved in the accident was working correctly. This requires railroad specialists and experts to provide insight and knowledge to our injury attorneys. If all equipment is proven to have been properly working, the next investigation will be into the conductor and their actions. Many times a train crash may have been caused from speeding, or even the conductor falling asleep.
Due to the complexity of train crashes and proving negligence, it is of utmost importance to contact an experienced Georgia injury attorney if you or someone you know are injured in a crash. At Jones & Swanson, our top attorneys and staff work on a contingency fee basis. This means that we do not ask for up-front costs or fees. We will listen to your story and determine whether or not we believe you have a significant claim. In the event that you do, we will represent you without pay until recovering monetary damages. Our fee then comes from that recovered amount. This allows our clients to have trust in our firm because we take on only the cases that we truly believe we can settle or win in court.
If you or someone you know has been injured in a Georgia train accident, contact our Marietta injury firm today for a free consultation at (770) 427-5498.
Categories: Train Accidents
