Train accidents happen for many reasons. Railroad crossings may be littered with debris, rail lines may be obstructed, mechanism failure, or simple human error can be at fault when a train derails or slams into a car. Whenever there is a train wreck, serious personal injuries can occur due to the massive bulk and weight of trains. The extensive damage caused by train and railroad accidents can cause great losses of property and human life. In a statistical study released by the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the administration found that there are 2,547 train accidents annually.

Train – Car Accident Statistics

Every 115 minutes, either a person or vehicle is hit by a train.

Nearly half of all collisions at railroad crossings occur where automatic warning devices such as flashing lights or flashing lights with gates are present and are functioning properly.

Many people believe they will hear an oncoming train or that a train will be able to stop in time; however, if a 150-car freight train is traveling 50 miles per hour, it will take over a mile to stop.

It goes without saying that when a 3000 pound car and a train weighing several hundred tons meet- tragedy results. According to the US Department of Transportation there are about 5,800 vehicle train crashes each year in the United States-usually at Railroad crossings. These accidents kill 600 people and injure about 2,300. More than 50% of all railroad fatal accidents occur at crossings with passive, or inadequate safety devices (often none at all!). During daylight about 75% of car train collisions involve the train hitting the car, while at night about 50% of the time the car runs into the train! Drive safe! Expect the Unexpected at train crossings!

Train accidents happen for many reasons. Railroad crossings may be littered with debris, rail lines may be obstructed, mechanism failure, or simple human error can be at fault when a train derails or slams into a car. Whenever there is a train wreck, serious personal injuries can occur due to the massive bulk and weight of trains. The extensive damage caused by train and railroad accidents can cause great losses of property and human life. In a statistical study released by the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the administration found that there are 2,547 train accidents annually.

Have you or someone you know been involved in a train wreck or railroad accident? Contact our Train Wreck Attorneys to get help with your railroad accident case today!

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) takes train safety and railroad safety concerns very seriously.

Rail accidents and/or incidents include:

- Derailment

- Train-train collisions

- Train-car collisions

- Train-person collisions

- Damage to property

An estimated 1,000 people die in train accidents every year. Some additional United States train and railroad accident statistics estimate that nearly every 2 weeks a train derailment causes a chemical spill. Some of these spills are so serious that require the evacuation of local residents. The occurrence and frequency of train accidents has been escalating since 1997.

Aside from being extremely tragic and devastating, train and railroad accidents can be very complex and difficult for the victims. That is why your best option following a train wreck or railroad accident is to seek legal counsel from an experienced attorney. This can help you recover well-deserved damages in the midst of all the pain and suffering endured.

Here are some train accident statistics:

- Every 90 minutes there is a train collision or derailment.

- A train carrying hazardous material goes off the tracks approximately every 2 weeks in the United States.

- Railroads are essentially self-regulated and do come under the close scrutiny of the federal government.

- Rail companies continue to rely on technology that was developed over 70 years ago and very little effort has been made to update safety measures.

- Local jurisdictions often have no control over the train travel in their area resulting in delays for local emergency response to catastrophic situations in the community. This basically means that the fire trucks will have to wait while a trans continental freight train passes!

- More than 50% of all railroad accidents occur at unprotected crossings and, according to the Federal Railroad Administration, over 80% of railroad crossings don’t have adequate warning devices.

- Statistics may show that although “vehicle v. train collisions” have decreased in the last few years, “pedestrian v. train collisions” have increased.

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