Fatal Commuter Train Crash in Belgium Apparently Due to Missing Automatic Braking System

Virginia (VA) Railroad Accident/FELA Lawyers
Offices in VA Beach, Hampton & Elizabeth City, NC

Railroad Injury/FELA

2/23/2010
Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton
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Fatal Commuter Train Crash in Belgium Apparently Due to Missing Automatic Braking System

When two commuter trains into each other near Brussels, Belgium, on Feb. 15, 2010, 18 passengers and crew members lost their lives. A total of 100 people on both trains suffered injuries in the head-on collision that appears to have been caused by the lack of automatic brakes that engage when a train runs a track-side red light.

The Wall Street Journal has reported that the train without the automatic brakes had not been upgraded with the otherwise commonly used safety equipment because doing so would have cost too much. Now it seems obvious that improving rail safety has proven far more costly.

Automatic braking systems--called positive train controls--are not failsafe, as last year's fatal DC Metro crash seems to have shown. At the same time, the equipment works quite well, and the Federal Railroad Administration has mandated the use of positive train controls on all U.S. lines operated by companies such as Amtrak, CSX, Conrail and Norfolk Southern by 2015. Some rail operators have opposed the requirement on, yes, cost grounds.

Safety comes at a cost. Companies should bear those costs. When passenger and crew protections after sacrificed for profits, people die. That should not happen.

EJL

Labels: accidents at railroad Amtrak commuter Conrail crossings dc metro train crash died head-on collision injury lawyers John C. loss of life passengers Rail crossing railroad accident railroad safety red light track switches train wreck

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a Virginia injury law firm whose attorneys focus on personal injury and accident law and have handled hundreds of Federal Employers' Liability Act claims for railroad workers hurt or made ill while doing their rail jobs. We also have represented many people injured in train accidents. Please take a few moments to review our railroad injury case results. Our primary offices are in Virginia Beach and Hampton, VA, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in Virginia 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. Fewer than 5 percent of lawyers are chosen for this professional honor.

In addition, we were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Our 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. Our attorneys have even been included in the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009.

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Virginia Beach, VA Personal Injury Attorneys
Virginia (VA) Personal Injury Lawyers
Specializing in Virginia Wrongful Death & Injury Law

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Fatal Commuter Train Crash in Belgium Apparently Due to Missing Automatic Braking System

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