Passenger Train Involved in a Deadly Car Accident
There is always a risk involved when driving over railroad tracks that are still active. There are also a number of legally mandated safety measures to ensure cars and their passengers are safe when they are crossing active train tracks. Recently, a deadly Georgia car accident that happened along a set of railroad tracks proved just how dangerous a collision with moving train can be.
Around 10 p.m., a car was on the tracks when an Amtrak passenger train came along. The train collided with the driver’s side of the car. The impact caused the car to overturn numerous times and a passenger in the car was ejected from the vehicle. The car also caught fire due to the accident.
Three people in the vehicle died at the scene. They had to be taken to a crime lab in order to positively identify the victims. The crossing that was the scene of the accident is reported to have stop signs.
It is unclear why exactly the car was on the tracks and in the path of an oncoming train. Cases like this could be either the result of driver error or negligence or even the fault of the warning system that alerts drivers to an oncoming train or even a lack of proper warning. Once an investigation is complete, the families of the victims may have cause for a civil suit in a Georgia court. They may be eligible for damages if they can prove the deaths resulted from the negligence of another party. If they prevail, it could help them recoup any financial loss related to this deadly train and car accident.
Source: cbsatlanta.com, “Three killed in train vs. car accident in NE Georgia,” Mary Gleason, May 4, 2013