Although the cost of ‘fail-safe’ systems on Chicago railroad tracks may be high, the recent accident in New York City has once again illustrated that the cost of human life can be much higher.
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) January 13, 2014
Responding to an article in the Chicago Tribune about railroad safety, Chicago personal injury lawyer Glenn C. Ronaldson of the Ronaldson & Kuchler Law Offices said today that it’s important for Metra officials to take the necessary steps to ensure an accident like the fatal New York City commuter rail crash doesn’t happen in Chicago.
The Chicago Tribune (“Deadly N.Y. train crash may boost 'fail-safe' system,” December 4) reported that the commuter rail crash in New York that killed four passengers and injured over 60 people reinforces the urgency for Metra to install a federally mandated safety system.
Although the U.S. Government has ordered all U.S. railroads to install a “fail-safe” system by the end of 2015, Metra officials say they believe that the system’s high cost could take the system up to three years longer to install onto Chicago tracks, according to the Tribune.
“Although the cost of ‘fail-safe’ systems on Chicago railroad tracks may be high, the recent accident in New York City has once again illustrated that the cost of human life can be much higher. It’s critical to the safety of the city’s millions of riders to install these highly technical systems on our tracks as soon as possible,” said Ronaldson, who represents victims of negligence and families who lost loved ones in accidents.
According to the Tribune article, the system – known as “positive train control” – was federally mandated after a 2008 collision in Los Angeles between a commuter train and freight train that killed twenty five. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has advocated for the use of positive train control for over 20 years, the Tribune reported, and could have helped prevent over 20 train accidents since 2004 – including two accident on the Metra that killed two passengers and injured dozens more.
In the case of the Metra accidents – which occurred in 2003 and 2005 – the Tribune said that it was ruled that Metra engineers failed to heed signals warning them to slow their trains. This was also the case in the New York City accident, according to the Tribune, with the commuter rail train approaching a sharp curve at over 80 miles per hour before derailing.
“It’s our hope at the Ronaldson & Kuchler Law Offices that our railroad tracks are outfitted with these fail-safe devices sooner rather than later. In the meantime, it’s the responsibility of train operators and train companies to take all necessary measures to prevent these accidents,” said Ronaldson. “This means properly training drivers, monitoring driver hours, and ensuring that drivers avoid driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol or while fatigued or distracted.”
About the Ronaldson & Kuchler Law Offices
Ronaldson & Kuchler is an Illinois law firm with a reputation for providing quality legal services in the Chicago area. The versatile attorneys have earned a reputation over the past twenty years as knowledgeable, results-driven lawyers who fight to protect the rights of personal injury and accident victims throughout Illinois. In addition to hearing cases involving railroad accidents, the legal team handles a variety of other cases, including car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, construction and workplace accidents, workers compensation claims, medical malpractice and legal malpractice.
For more information about what to do after you’ve been injured on a Metra train or while riding public transportation in Chicago, contact our firm today at (800) 210-0136 for a free case consultation.
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