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11/1/2011
Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton
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Distracted Tractor-Trailer Driver Causes Rail Yard Train Collision

A tractor-trailer driver who caused an accident while leaving the rail yard at the Morton Salt plant in Silver Springs, New York (NY), admitted he was distracted when he ignored warning lights and a lowered gate at tracks on which a Norfolk Southern freight train was being backed up. According to The Daily News, on October 28, 2011, the trucker was "looking down at something in the cab of his truck when he entered the railroad crossing."


This map shows where a distracted truck driver caused a rail ard train crash in Silver Sprigs, NY

Somehow, the at-fault driver escaped injury when the train hit just behind the truck's cab, and it appears that no NS crewmembers, rail yard workers or Morton employees got hurt. Such welcome outcomes are rare when truck drivers ignore crossing signals and barriers in industrial yards. In fact, this same Morton facility was the site of a fatal train-truck collision in August 2007.

To cite another incident in which railroad employees were injured and lost their lives in a rail yard crash, a van transporting BNSF workers to a hotel drove into the path of a train at a Kelso, Washington (WA), yard. Three people died, and a another was severely injured.

All drivers must exercise caution when approaching rail crossing, and no one should ever intentionally or unintentionally ignore flashing lights or attempt to beat trains by going around lowered gates. Distractions and overly aggressive driving at grade crossings can be deadly.

My railroad accident attorney colleagues and I have helped many train crew members hurt in crossing accidents and derailments receive compensation for their injuries. Any time a truck or other vehicle blocks a grade crossing, the train may end up going off the tracks as the engineer initiates emergency braking. The huge size of locomotives and rail cars means someone will likely get hurt when collisions occur.

EJL
 

Category: Brain Damage/Head Injuries

Labels: at-fault driver Carolina personal injury attorney Cooper crossing gates deaths distracted driving distracted truck driver injuries Morton Salt Norfolk Southern train crash rail workers rail yard railroad crossing accident railroad employees tractor-trailer warning lights


About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a law firm whose attorneys focus on injury and accident law and who have handled hundreds of railroad worker injury and general railroad injury cases. Please take a few moments to review our railroad injury case results involving FELA and other rail employee protection laws. 

We serve every area of North Carolina, including the Outer Banks, Nags Head and the western mountains, as well as all the cities and counties in between. In South Carolina, we cover the state from Myrtle Beach and Charleston to Orangeburg, Columbia, Florence, Rock Hill, Darlington, Aiken, Anderson, Greenville and Spartanburg.

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been included among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008 and we have been named one of the best Best Injury Law Firms in North Carolina for personal injury law since 2010 by U.S. News & World Report. In addition, Rick and Jim have been listed in the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009 and our firm has the highest rating of AV from national lawyer ranking organization Martindale-Hubbell. That means we have a reputation for demonstrating preeminent legal skill.

We would like to send you one of our free reports about railroad injury and FELA cases, including the Dos and Don'ts When Injured at a Railroad: A Railroad Worker's FELA Rights and What Railroad Claim Agents Agents Won't Tell You (But You Must Know). 

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer a free, initial confidential injury case consultation, so call us toll free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail so we can return your call promptly.


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