Norfolk Virginia Light Railroad Crossing Crash Injures Motorist

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

8/17/2011
Richard N. Shapiro
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Norfolk, VA Light Rail Crossing Crash Injures Motorist

A dangerous intersection in Norfolk, Virginia (VA) pits motorists against trains. In the second light rail accident in a week at Second Street and Brambleton Avenue in Norfolk, Virginia (VA), a van collided with a train. The driver did not see The Tide train coming and tried to make a right turn across the tracks. Although there are warning lights, there is no safety gate at the intersection. The driver of the van suffered minor injuries, and the damage to his vehicle was severe.

Norfolk officials are investigating the crash. As a Virginia personal injury lawyer, it is clear to me that there needs to be more warnings for motorists. Many people have been driving the streets of Norfolk for years without light rail and are now caught unaware by the new traffic pattern and the lack of safety gates that most people associate with railroad crossings. The best warning devices at railroad crossings are "active warning devices," which are lights activated by an approaching train, and gates that will lower automatically at the approach of a train.

Railroad crossing accidents involving a train and a car or truck can have devastating consequences, especially for the driver and passenger(s) in the car. Thousands of people are killed or suffer very serious injuries every year in the U.S. because of these types of accidents. In fact, the Federal Railroad Administration estimates that cars and trains collided with each other every 12 minutes in 2009, leading to a total of 9,570 train accidents.

You would be wrong to think that all the people injured or killed were trying to beat the train or not paying attention. There are many reasons why the train can be at fault. As experienced Virginia railroad attorneys, my colleagues and I have written a safety guide for anyone who has been in a railroad accident: What Railroad Claim Agents Won't Tell You (But You Must Know).

CT

Category: Railroad Injury/FELA

Labels: crossing accident light rail light rail crash no safety gate Norfolk train crash Norfolk Virginia train Railroad Crossing accident Shapiro

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.

We would like to send you one of our free reports about railroad injury and FELA cases, including Dos & Don'ts When Injured at a Railroad: Your FELA Rights and What Railroad Claim Agents Agents Won't Tell You (But You Must Know).

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer a free initial confidential injury case consultations, so 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 return your call.

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Norfolk, VA Light Rail Crossing Crash Injures Motorist

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