Although major train accidents are, thankfully, relatively rare, this doesn’t mean that people don’t get hurt while traveling by train. While a collision can cause fatalities and life-changing injuries, more minor injuries, such as falling over while aboard, can cause serious injuries too.
Fortunately, there is help available if you’ve been injured due to train accidents or incidents. When you contact a personal injury lawyer following this type of incident, they’ll be able to help you establish who was at fault and, therefore, whether you can take legal action.
How Common Are Train Accidents?
As train collisions or derailments are so rare in the U.S., they’re major news when they do happen. In Pennsylvania, for example, the Amtrack crash in 2015 is the most widely publicized incident in recent times. Tragically, numerous fatalities occurred due to this incident and hundreds of people were injured. While you can certainly pursue a compensation claim following this type of accident, there are other types of incidents that can warrant legal action too.
If a train isn’t well-maintained, for example, the seats or the handrails could cause or contribute to an accident. Similarly, if the carriages aren’t cleaned regularly, a wet floor or even litter could cause you to slip, trip or fall.
As you might expect, these more minor train accidents occur much more frequently than major incidents on the railways. While trains might be one of the safest forms of travel in the U.S., this doesn’t prevent a significant number of people experiencing some form of injury while they’re attempting to reach their destination.
Can You Claim Compensation?
Generally, if you sustain an injury that someone or something else was at least partly responsible for, you can take legal action, and this applies to injuries that occur on trains or at stations too. The company or organization responsible for managing the railways, the train and/or the station has a duty of care to its customers and passengers and, if they fail in this duty, they can be held liable for any injuries you sustain as a result.
Before you launch a claim, however, it is important to seek legal advice. A personal injury attorney is well-placed to help you establish who is liable for your injuries and can help you to get your claim underway. Furthermore, a train accident lawyer can help to ensure that you claim for the full amount of compensation that you’re entitled to.
How Much Compensation Will You Receive?
The amount of compensation you receive following a train accident will depend on the type of injuries you’ve sustained, as well as the impact they are having or will have on your life. Life-changing injuries that prevent you from returning to work or carrying out day-to-day activities may warrant a higher amount of compensation than temporary injuries which will fully heal, for example.
With help from your legal team, you can find out how much compensation you’re likely to be entitled to. From lost income to the cost of medical treatment, you might be surprised at just how much compensation you can claim following a train accident.