Did you know California has more than 6,000 miles of railroad tracks? These railways tend to be concentrated around the state’s biggest cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco, where many have been in place for more than 100 years.
They’re not just historical curiosities. Most California railroad tracks are still in frequent use hauling passengers, freight, agricultural goods, and raw materials. That means at every railroad intersection, there’s a good chance a fully-loaded train could be passing along at any time.
Train Accidents are More Common Than You Might Think
Train accidents are all too common in California. Many people are surprised to hear that more than 50 people die and more than 600 are injured on California’s train tracks every year.
These train accidents happen in a wide variety of ways according to the Federal Railroad Administration. Below are some of the most common situations.
- Walking, sitting, and sleeping on the tracks when a train comes
- Slip and fall accidents while walking across the tracks
- Suffering a crushing or pinning injury
- Injuries due to missing handrails and safety features
- Being struck by train equipment
- Train derailment injuries
- Train vs. traffic crashes and impacts
As you can see, there are many ways to be injured on or near train tracks. Most of these accidents come as a complete shock to the innocent victims who are left with life-altering injuries.
You could be a passenger on a train that crashes and crushes you in the force of the impact. Or you could be an innocent bystander who is struck by a piece of moving train equipment and suffers broken bones or a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
These types of injuries usually fall into the category of personal injury accidents. In some cases, train crashes involve traffic accidents where trains and other vehicles have catastrophic collisions.
What to Do After a Train-Related Personal Injury
If you’re hurt by a train, train equipment, subway car, cable car, or trolley, you could have significant injuries that take a long time to heal. Now you have expensive medical bills, not to mention time off work to go to doctor’s appointments and recover from your accident.
The battle for compensation begins. It can be challenging to get a train company like Amtrak, Metrolink, or Caltrain to pay for your medical bills and other damages. Although these companies know people are frequently injured along their railroad lines, they’re not eager to pay personal injury settlements.
You’ll have to open an accident claim and pursue it diligently to receive compensation. This may involve filling out a claim form, providing proof of your damages, interacting with a train company representative, handling questions from an insurance company, and much more.
It’s a lot to handle when you’re already injured! That’s why a California train accident lawyer is so helpful after a train accident. Your lawyer helps lift the legal burden so you can focus on your recovery.
Types of Train Accident Cases We Handle
Generally speaking, the team at Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers handles cases with significant injuries where our client is making a claim against a transportation company, municipality, manufacturer, or another driver. Insurance claims are often involved.
As our client, you might be a passenger, a pedestrian, a motorist, or someone who just had the misfortune of being nearby during a train crash or derailment. Please note that we typically handle severe injury cases only, so if you have only minor injuries, it’s less likely that we’ll be able to take your case.
We handle:
- Traffic accidents involving passenger vehicles and trains
- Severe personal injuries from railroad tracks, equipment, and malfunctions
- Injuries from train derailments
- Collisions with multiple trains/vehicles
- Subway, cable car, and trolley accidents
- Wrongful deaths
You can trust us to listen to your story and support you with compassionate legal assistance. Contact us for a free consultation about pursuing the train accident compensation you deserve under California law.
We Handle Your Personal Injury Claim So You Can Focus on Your Life
After an injury, contact the attorneys at Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers. We handle many areas of the law, including compensation for train accidents. We believe you should be able to focus on recovering while we handle the legal details.
We truly care about the people of California. Contact us today for a free online case evaluation.
