by James Lewis

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JIm is a Virginia injury attorney who handles car accidents, medical malpractice, FELA, wrongful death, etc.

6/21/2010
James Lewis
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Chicago Subway Fire Underlines Push for Light Rail Safety

Around 5 pm on Father's Day 2010, a subway tunnel and train in downtown Chicago, Illinois (IL) filled with smoke. Nineteen passengers, including a 10-year-old boy, needed hospital treatment for mild to severe smoke inhalation and other injuries. Fortunately, no one was killed.


Preliminary investigations show that one or more railroad ties on the Red Line near the Clark/Division L station caught fire, possibly due to the buildup of summer heat on oil and creosote. The Chicago subway fire comes nearly a year after a fatal collision between DC Metro trains caused by the malfunction of an automatic braking system built into the tracks.

The deaths of nine Metro passengers -- and injuries to dozens of others -- prompted federal lawmakers to call for $150 million to improve light rail safety in Washington, DC, and elsewhere. The fire in Chicago, where a fire department official conceded that ties bursting into flames was not uncommon, drives home the fact that government officials at all levels, transit agencies and light rail operators need to make passenger and worker safety a top priority.

This real-life lesson holds particular relevance for Norfolk and the other cities of Hampton Roads, as the HRT-operated TIDE is set to start running in 2011. Expansions of the local light rail system are already proposed for Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Newport News.

Commuter trains can help relieve traffic congestion and have a generally positive safety record. When accidents do happen, though, the number of people hurt and killed can be quite large. Constant focus on, and improvement in, light rail safety are musts if the benefits of the transportation option are to be fully realized.

EJL

Category: Mass Transit (Airline, Train, Bus)

Labels: accident burns Chicago commuter Crash D.C. deaths fatalities fire HRT injury lawyer Lewis light rail metro Norfolk passengers railroad safety railroad ties smoke subway train

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a Viriginia injury law firm whose attorneys focus on personal injury and accident law and have experience handling cases for victims of mass transit accidents such as airplane, train and bus crashes. In fact, our law firm published a free consumer safety guide on what to do if you are hurt in a plane wreck.

We have offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, Virginia but we're ready to come to you anywhere in VA including Suffolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Newport News and Norfolk, VA, if you've been seriously hurt by someone else's carelessness.

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been included among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008, and have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2010, an honor fewer than 5 percent of lawyers receive.

Shapiro and Lewis have also been selected for inclusion in the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. In addition, ours was the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Our VA mass transit injury law firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill.

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer free initial confidential injury case consultations. Call us toll free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail so we can respond directly to you.

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