Understandably, railroad grade crossings can be dangerous locations and even be the site of a motor vehicle accident. When that occurs, the results can be devastating. Recently in New York, two people suffered injuries at a grade crossing after they became involved in a car accident.
The incident occurred as a car was hit from behind by another vehicle. It then became stuck on the grade crossing. The horn sounded, and the train operator also reportedly hit the brakes. Unfortunately, it was not able to stop in time and struck both cars.
There were 21 passengers on the train. None of those travelers were injured in the collision. Two people in the vehicles were injured in the incident. The Thursday afternoon wreck occurred the day after the railroad initiated a public awareness campaign that served as a warning about the dangers of railroad crossing sites.
The extent of the injuries to the people hurt in this train versus car accident was not reported. However, any kind of injury requiring medical attention can be costly and can impact a victim’s life in a number of ways, one of which may be that person’s ability to work — whether in the short or long term. If that victim decides to pursue a claim for monetary damages in a New York civil court, it will be necessary to prove that the injuries suffered were caused by the negligence of another party. In this instance, it appears the operator of the vehicle that rear-ended the first vehicle could face claims for financial responsibility concerning the crash.
Source: myfoxny.com, “2 injured in grade crossing accident on Long Island”, June 19, 2015
