Commuter Trains Remain Subject of Safety Concerns for New Yorkers After New York Train Accident
As a recent article inward the Westchester Journal News reports, it is the 4th anniversary of a deadly New York train accident that resulted inward the deaths of multiple passengers when the tertiary track “came upwards through the flooring.” Five passengers sustained fatal injuries too 9 additional passengers suffered nonfatal injuries as a upshot of this develop crash. The prepare accident occurred inwards Feb of 2015 when a Metro-North prepare collided alongside an SUV at a crossing inward Valhalla, near an hr northward of New York City.
The train crash happened merely afterward six p.m. on a weekday, presently subsequently a winter storm. The train conductor saw an SUV stuck on the tracks as well as tried to brake, only the develop crashed into the coach. As the article explains, after the educate collided amongst the SUV, “the electrified tertiary rail on the due west side of the runway detached, piercing the fuel tank inward [the] SUV earlier cut into the atomic number 82 railcar.”
Why are people nevertheless talking well-nigh this New York develop accident? In brusque, develop injury lawsuits take arisen as a result of the third rail blueprint, alleging that the third rails was faulty or defective. Since the develop accident inward NYC inwards 2015, the design of the 3rd rails has non changed.
A tertiary track provides electric ability to a educate. Sometimes tertiary track are associated alongside electric stupor injuries, just every bit the Metro-North prepare accident in NYC underscores, they tin also movement deadly injuries if they become detached inwards a prepare crash. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) indicated inward a concluding study that “the tertiary rails pattern led to the loss of life.”
More specifically, the NTSB reported that “Metro-North’s third rail assembly catastrophically compromised a rider railcar alongside fatal consequences.” The NTSB report went on to explicate how “Metro-North’sec third runway organisation penetrated the passenger compartment as well as broke apart at the splice bars.” Recognizing the potential for similar fatal injuries inwards the effect of a develop crash like the i that occurred in 2015, the NTSB recommended that Metro-North “deport take chances assessments for all course crossings that take 3rd rails systems too next through with corrections to minimize such risks.”
In the prepare accident well-nigh NYC, sparks from the third rails pierced the train car too started a burn down. In the develop lawsuit, families of the people killed inwards the develop crash argue that the tertiary rails should live designed and so that it will suspension or fall apart inwards the issue of a crash. In other words, it should live designed then that if a prepare crash occurs, it cannot pierce a train car as well as campaign multiple fatal injuries.
Learning More About Train Crash Safety
While train crashes are non almost every bit mutual every bit motor vehicle collisions, they make occur. What tin passengers, pedestrians, as well as motor vehicle occupants do to remain rubber? A fact sheet from Operation Lifesaver recommends the next develop safe tips:
- Always be warning anytime you are near train tracks;
- Never sit down on the edge of a prepare platform;
- Always stand at to the lowest degree iii feet away from the edge of the educate platform;
- Sit or concord tightly to something when yous are on the prepare;
- Be careful of the gap betwixt the train too the platform;
- Abide by all safe signs;
- Never cross develop tracks unless there are signs indicating that it is rubber to cross; as well as
- Avoid using your cell telephone or headphones when y'all are virtually train tracks or are waiting for a educate because y'all may non live able to take heed a prophylactic horn.
If person you dear was injured inward a train accident in NYC or elsewhere, you lot should hash out your case amongst a prepare accident lawyer.
