TRAIN ACCIDENTS – The Rachel Duncan Story

In the last 10 years, there have been more than 30,000 railroad crossing collisions resulting in more than 3600 deaths.

Last year Louisiana ranked “4th” nationally in vehicle and train fatalities and “1st” in the “Most Accidents per Public Grade Crossings”

Train accidents and, specifically….. railroad crossing accidents…. can have devastating effects on motor vehicles. When a train hits another vehicle -- a car, truck or SUV -- the results are catastrophic. Often, these accidents and deaths could have been prevented.

Figures from the National Transportation Safety Board state that approximately 60 percent of all railroad crossing fatalities occur at “unprotected” or passive crossings.

Passive crossings are those crossings with only a railroad crossing sign. The statistics also state that “Protected Crossings”….. those crossings with warning devices such as lights and gates,,,,, represent only 20 percent of the public railroad crossings in the United States.

The National Transportation Safety Board publishes Some national statistics you should know……..

333 million -- Number of vehicles that cross railroad tracks every day
50% -- Percentage of vehicle/train collisions that occur at crossings with active warning devices (lights, gates, bells)
40x -- Times you are more likely to die in a crash with a train than you are to die in an automobile crash
2 Hrs-- Average time, in hours, between each incident where a vehicle or pedestrian is struck by a train

The National Transportation Safety Board also lists the 10 most dangerous states for railroad crossing fatalities in 2010

26 Illinois railroad crossing accident fatalities
25 Florida railroad crossing deaths
24 California railroad crossing fatalities
19 Indiana railroad crossing deaths
17 Texas railroad crossing deaths
15 Louisiana railroad crossing deaths
13 Mississippi railroad crossing deaths
12 Ohio railroad crossing deaths
10 Alabama railroad crossing deaths
10 Missouri railroad crossing deaths

In this Insider Exclusive Special, “TRAIN ACCIDENTS – The Rachel Duncan Story”, Rachel’s lawyer, Mike Cox ,partner at the law firm of Cox Cox Filo, Camel & Wilson successfully got justice for Rachel …

By proving that the Train that rendered her a quadriplegic and killed her sister…… was obstructed by overgrown vegetation.

AND… Most importantly … that the railroad company was and is responsible for assuring that train crossing warning systems are active and in working order.

Too often, railroad companies allow weeds, grass, trees and other vegetation to overgrow near railroad crossings. This overgrown foliage prevents motorists from seeing an oncoming train and causes these deadly catastrophic accidents.

You can contact Mike Cox, Partner @ Cox Cox Filo Camel and Wilson at http://www.coxcoxfilo.com 337 436 6611