St. Louis Railroad Crossing Accident Attorneys
Railroad crossing accidents can be deadly. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a motorist is almost 20 times more likely to die in a crash involving a train than in one involving another motor vehicle. Many railroad crossing accidents could be prevented if railroad companies took the appropriate steps to make their crossings safer.
If you have suffered catastrophic injury or a loved one has died in a railroad crossing accident that could have been prevented by the railroad company, contact the St. Louis attorneys at Bruntrager & Billings by filling out our online contact form or calling 314-646-0066.
Causes of Railroad Crossing Accidents
The Federal Railroad Administration reports that the number of collisions between motor vehicles and trains dropped by approximately 80 percent between 1972 and 2008. Even so, there were still approximately 2,396 highway-rail grade crashes in 2008.
Some of the causes of railroad crossing accidents:
- Defective warning lights, bells or gates
- Failure to install warning lights, bells or gates
- Improper sight lines that prevent motorists from spotting oncoming trains
- Improper maintenance of crossings resulting in sightlines obscured by trees, weeds, and other foliage
- Failure of the conductor to sound a horn or whistle
Investigation
If you or a loved one has been involved in a railroad crossing accident, it is important that you contact an attorney as soon as possible. Physical evidence of the accident must be preserved to help ensure that the accident can be reconstructed. Witnesses should be interviewed while the details are still fresh in their minds. Experts in accident reconstruction, physics and railroad safety may need to be retained.
Although compensation can never replace a lost loved one or restore a permanently injured person to health, it can help a family cover current and future medical expenses and make up for lost earnings.
Since 1954, the attorneys at St. Louis firm Bruntrager & Billings have been helping individuals who have been injured in railroad crossing accidents, as well as families who have lost loved ones in such accidents. Schedule your free consultation by contacting us online or calling 314-646-0066.