Millions of Americans put their lives and well being in the hands of mass transit every day. People take commuter trains, subways, buses and airplanes all over our country and throughout our cities. Unfortunately accidents can and do happen and people are injured. There are a number of factors that contribute to mass transit accidents from human error to vehicle or manufacturing failures. In some cases, people do need to seek compensation through plane accident lawsuits or train accident lawsuits, for example, for medical costs and any loss of pay that occurs as a result of mass transit negligence or mishap.
Although airline accidents garnet a lot of media attention, it remains one of the safest ways to travel long distances. In 2002, for example, there was only 1 “Major” plane crash and 1 “Serious” plane accident. In 2004, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released positive airplane accident information indicating a decrease in the civil aviation accident categories. Commercial Airlines represent 90% of air traffic in America today and due to errors and negligence on behalf of the airline industry, there have been approximately 2,000 deaths between 1982 and 1998.
There are numerous reasons why an airplane accident can happen including pilot error, equipment malfunction, air traffic controller error and poor weather conditions. In some cases the airline is clearly culpable where in others they are not. Many people successfully sue for damages when they have been injured or when a loved one has been killed and the airline is clearly at fault. For instance, when it was discovered that some pilots had been drinking prior to flights – had one of them caused an accident due to their negligent behavior, the airline would certainly be culpable for any damages.
Train accidents and railroad accidents are relatively uncommon occurrences as well. Still as recently as April of 2003 more than 100 people were badly injured when an Amtrak engineer caused the train he was driving to collide with a Long Island Rail Road train inside New York City’s, Penn Station tunnel. In this case, Amtrak was forced to acknowledge fault because of their engineer’s error and, as a result, is culpable for the passenger injuries they caused to the commuters and employees of both trains affected. In addition to well covered instances like this one, many small towns experience train accidents frequently at railroad crossings that malfunction or fail to work altogether.
If you have been injured in a mass transit accident or you have lost a loved one in a mass transit accident like an airplane crash, you are not without recourse. In many cases, attorneys in the airline and train industry will pressure you in to accepting their settlements and you should avoid doing this until you have contacted a reputable and qualified personal injury attorney or product liability attorney. You need to take control of your individual situation and protect your rights. If you have been adversely affected by an accident caused by someone else, you should seek redress.