Amtrak is the largest intercity passenger railroad service in America, serving more than 500 stations in 46 states. In 2004 they served over 25 million peoples with an average of 68,000 passengers per day on their trains. Amtrak is owned by National Railroad Passenger Corporation and operated by the same entity. Although Amtrak is not owned by the US government it is heavily subsidized. Although they work hard to maintain a safe method of transport, they have been plagues by serious train accidents that have resulted in injury and death to many people.
For instance in the last five years, they have been involved in a number of train accidents. In August of 2005, an Amtrak train collided with a dump truck injuring 20 people, 2 quite seriously. In April of 2004, an engineer was responsible for the collision of an Amtrak train with a Long Island Railroad, injuring 127 people. In May of 2003 an Amtrak train collided with a lumber truck in Georgia. The incident killed both the driver of the lumber truck and the train’s engineer.
2002 was a particularly bad year for Amtrak. In July of 2002, an Amtrak train with over 200 passengers derailed near Washington, resulting in the injury of over 100 passengers. In April of 2002 a freight train collided with an Amtrak Metrolink commuter train in California killing two people and injuring approximately 260. Also in April of 2002 an Amtrak Auto Train derailed in Florida killing four people and injuring more than 150. In March of 2001 a cross country Amtrak train carrying 210 people from Chicago to California derailed injuring 90 passengers and killing 1. Finally, in February of 2001 and Amtrak train collided with a freight train in New York injuring 61 people.
In total, over five years, Amtrak train accidents, including collisions and derailments contributed to the injury of over 800 people and to the deaths of at least 9 people.
Train accidents clearly often result in serious injury, whether they are major derailments or minor collisions. Many critics of Amtrak say they are not implementing sufficient safety equipment and that many of the collisions, derailments and operator error could be curtailed with better management. Additionally, given that the Federal Government so heavily subsidizes Amtrak many critics say they should be doing more to regulate the safety standards of the railroads.
Train accidents, when caused by an engineer, a train malfunction or inappropriately maintain rails are considered the fault of the railroad or the manufacturer of the train. If you have been injured in a train accident or a loved one has been killed in a train accident, including collisions or derailments, you should contact a qualified personal injury attorney quickly. There are statutes of limitations on all train accidents and the railroad industry has been known for implementing pressure tactics to settle out of court. No matter what your ultimate decision is, ensure that it is an informed decision with the wise counsel of a qualified attorney.