by Richard N. Shapiro

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

8/5/2010
Richard N. Shapiro
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DC Metro Cited for Failing to Ensure Workers' Safety in Wake of Fatal Track Maintenance Accident

The agency that operates the DC Metro systems has been cited for lax workplace safety by Maryland (MD) regulators. The citations stem from a January 2010 incident in which two Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Agency employees died when a maintenance truck backed over them while they were repairing light rail tracks near Metro's Rockville Red Line station.

According to WHSV-TV, the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health, or MOSH, charged WMATA with seeting the stage for the railroad injury by failing to provide lookouts for the killed workers, not ensuring the truck had a clear view to its rear, and allowing workers to use different radio frequencies on their communication devices. MOSH announced its findings from a joint investigation with the National Transportation Safety Board just four days after WMATA was cited by the NTSB for a range of maintenance and safety lapses that caused a fatal collision between commuter trains in June 2009. That crash killed nine people and injured more than 70 DC Metro employees and passengers.

WMATA has claimed the MOSH and NTSB findings are inaccurate. For its part, the light rail agency has issued a fact sheet to support its contention that it has been working consistently since last year to improve safety for employees and commuters along its tracks and in its stations. WMATA points in particular to a "rebuilt and expanded Safety Department" and an investment of "$200 million in federal and jurisdictional funding ... to make needed equipment and facility repairs."

While not all deadly accidents and railroad injuries can be prevented, there is no excuse for having as poor a track record on safety as the one WMATA has. I can only hope that the agency's efforts pay off. Improvements in equipment, operating procedures and long-range investments in safety have been long overdue. They certainly come too late to protect the passengers and workers who lost their lives or suffered serious injuries in the rash of DC Metro accidents that occurred in 2009 and early 2010.

EJL

Category: Mass Transit (Airline, Train, Bus)

Labels: accident collision commuter Crash D.C. DC Metro employees FELA injury lawyer light rail loss of life metro passengers rail railroad safety Shapiro 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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