Philadelphia Injury Attorney Blog

As an experienced Pennsylvania trucking and commercial carrier accident attorney, I have noticed a disturbing trend in the past few years that has also been highlighted by the press resulting in recent governmental inquiries and investigations, namely that many individuals who have been operating trucks and buses have a disturbing history involving traffic accidents and reckless behavior in their past. A recent investigation has noted that the deaths of six people in last Friday’s Amtrak train and truck crash in the Nevada desert involved a truck driver who had a long history of speeding, using a cell phone while driving and causing other injury accidents. The history of his reckless driving also included that he was found to be at fault in a prior freeway crash in 2007 and received many traffic citations earlier as a school bus driver in California. Investigators remain mystified as to why the truck driver failed to stop at a railroad crossing despite the fact that all warning lights and gates were working at the crossing and were easily visible for up to a mile in the flat desert area in Nevada. As a result of the train’s crash with the truck, six individuals died and others were burned and others remain unaccounted for.

The Pennsylvania trucking accident attorneys of Reiff & Bily have recently joined forces with the Beasley Firm to create the Beasley Reiff Law Group. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families and we hope that the government and trucking companies do not continue to drag their feet when conducting background checks and investigating those who driver their vehicles and are entrusted to have full knowledge of the laws and regulations governing our roads and highways. I question how an individual with such a prior record could have been hired by this trucking company and join forces calling for a careful analysis and investigation of the factors leading to this accident.

The Pennsylvania railroad accident lawyers of Reiff & Bily and the Beasley Reiff Law Group have together been awarded over $2 billion dollars since 1958 representing the interests of those catastrophically injured or wrongfully killed due to the negligence of others. We always offer a free confidential, no obligation consultation. For more information contact we online at www.reiffandbily.com or toll free at 1-800-421-9595.

As an experienced railroad crossing and train accident attorney, I am well aware that individuals often underestimate the dangers of oncoming trains and the dangers of railroad crossings. Obviously if you are traveling in a car, you don’t stand a great chance of surviving against a heavy train that is traveling at a high rate of speed. The stopping distance of trains is very long as they are very heavy and they will typically drag a car down the tracks for at least a mile. The odds are against surviving and if you are lucky enough to survive, a victim will most likely sustain permanent and life altering catastrophic injury. Nearly 2/3 of all railroad crossing accidents occur during daylight hours, and surprisingly 2/3 of these accidents occur at crossings equipped with automatic warning devices. The railroads will most likely claim that driver inattention is clearly the cause. However, as an experienced railroad crossing accident lawyer, I strongly disagree with the assertions set forth by the railroads. Our human factor and safety experts have been able to prove that many railroad crossings are inadequately designed and are not safe. Although there are approximately 25,000 railroad crossing fatalities in the United States (a number which seems to remain fairly constant with minimal increases) it appears that many of the railroad warning systems are inadequate and have severe limitations when it comes to safety. Additionally, sunlight can obscure a warning’s light low intensity signal and the narrowness of focus is compounded by reflections as well. In order to see if a train is coming, a driver must see a light flash. However, most of the lights do not blackout when the bulb is off. Light from the sun can reflect off the surface back to the driver’s eye which is known as a veiling light or veiling glare because it lowers the contrast as one looking through a veil. Black backgrounds can also make flashing lights harder to see. Surprisingly, in an attempt to increase visibility, many warning lights are mounted in front of a black metal backdrop. The designers thought that they were maximizing brightness of a light when it flashes which may be true at night as it has the opposite effect when there is significant reflection. However, our safety experts, human factor experts, and lighting experts experienced in catastrophic railroad accidents and fatalities will tell us that black surrounds impair detection of the light flashes because they mask contrast.

Continue reading "Railroad Accident Attorneys Warn Of An Increase In Vehicle And Train Fatalities" »

A tragic incident occurred on the SEPTA El on December 13, 2009 at approximately 3:30 p.m. at 30th Street Station. A person was hit by the Market-Frankford El while it was pulling into the station and the person was pronounced dead at the scene. The police are still investigating the cause of the accident with SEPTA individuals. SEPTA officials will be working with the police to try to determine if any safety procedures were violated. Normally an investigation like this can take many months.

Our hearts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the victim for their tragic and heartbreaking loss and we offer our deepest condolences to them. The primary cause of train accidents are human factors, track defects, equipment defects, and miscellaneous causes. The Federal Railroad Administration Office of Safety Analysis on its website reveals a concerning amount of train fatalities and serious accidents throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from the year 2008 to 2009. In a tragic case such as this, it would be in the best interest of the family of the deceased to consult an experienced Philadelphia personal injury lawyer to analyze all aspects of this unfortunate accident and to make sure the victim’s legal rights are protected.

The experienced train accident lawyers at Reiff & Bily have experience looking into whether or not there was a dangerous condition at the train station, whether or not there was any violation of safety standards that contributed to the death of the victim. If there is a claim against any governmental agency, there are strict time limitations in which to report the same. It should not be overlooked and should be immediately addressed.

A little over 30 years ago, a dear friend of mine was struck and killed by a train when it was passing through a train crossing. The accident that occurred was clearly preventable and the memory of my friend reminds me that railroad crossing accidents are always catastrophic and most times result in wrongful death. I have been an experienced Philadelphia personal injury and car accident lawyer practicing since 1979 representing catastrophically injured clients in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and throughout the United States in conjunction with other prominent personal injury lawyers.

Almost always, a train crossing accident occurs when a train strikes another vehicle, normally a car, truck, an SUV or a bus. As one can easily imagine, the extreme weight and motion of the train overpowers anything in its path. This past week in Iowa a third train versus car accident occurred at the same crossing in less than two months. Most drivers don’t obey the rules of the road when approaching a crossing or railroad track. Many times they will attempt to beat the gate or signal. Always remember that the trains have the right of way. And always remember that railroad crossings are a very dangerous environment.

Continue reading "Railroad Crossings: A Very Dangerous Environment For Car Accidents" »