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).
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