Trains and Trucks Cross in Southern California
The large urban areas of Southern California have many places where the paths of train and motor vehicles must cross one another. Every year, hundreds of serious personal injuries and many deaths occur at railroad crossings that involve trucks and trains. In the United States, there are over 2,000 accidents each year involving motor vehicles and trains. Most railroad crossing accidents happen in these areas, where pickup trucks, SUV’s and commercial vehicles are frequently driven.
If you have been involved in a train crossing accident, an attorney experienced in this type of accident is needed to protect your legal rights and to determine liability for the crash. Protecting your physical, financial, and emotional interests is a task that requires know-how to get all of the evidence needed to prove your case and to insure full recovery of damages.
When a train and pickup cross, the destructive force of a train hitting the truck is huge. Most trains weigh between 125-250 tons, some over 700 tons. When compared to a train, even a full-size pickup truck like the one in this story is no match.
Train, Truck, and Tourists
A Cape Cod Central Railroad tourist train collided with a GMC Sierra pickup truck just before 1 p.m. today at the Spring Hill Road railroad crossing.
The vehicle rolled over after the collision and came to rest in a nearby wooded area. Spring Hill Road at the intersection was shut down while police investigated the accident. Two occupants in the truck were taken to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, Sandwich police Sgt. Joseph Cotter said.
The train was carrying 56 passengers on a brunch tour between Hyannis and Buzzards Bay and was headed back to Hyannis when the accident occurred, said Mary Cate Doherty, depot manager and tour director for the Hyannis-based railroad company. None of the passengers were seriously hurt, she said.
“The thing stopped and everything slid,” said Lisa Sparen, a passenger from Cumberland, R.I.
Sandwich police are on the scene of the crossing as are the Sandwich rescue squad. A state police crash reconstruction team will assist with the investigation, Cotter said.
Doherty said the pickup truck apparently tried to get across the tracks ahead of the train. Cotter could not confirm this information saying that it is too early in the investigation.
Passengers on the train were escorted to an Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority bus at about 1:45 p.m. and taken back to Hyannis.
If you have experienced a train crossing accident and you need the services of a Personal Injury Lawyer in Los Angeles please contact us at (323) 947-2224 or visit the Personal Injury section on our website at the DAG Law Firm. Call today and we will connect you with Daniel A. Gibalevich, an experienced, aggressive, affordable Personal Injury Attorney in Los Angeles. After you have spoken with our Los Angeles Personal Injury Law attorney, we can schedule you a free face to face appointment to discuss your circumstances. If you have questions or are considering any aspect of Personal Injury Law, we can help! Call us now at (323) 947-2224. We look forward to hearing from you and assisting you with the full resolution of your train crossing accident.
