Long Island Train Accident

The railroad system in New York is a busy one, with millions of passengers boarding trains daily. Based on the number of people who ride trains each day in New York and the number of trains that travel through Long Island and the rest of the state of New York, it is not shocking that accidents happen. While major accidents involving derailments or collisions are not common, other types of accidents that leave seriously injured victims do occur. Regardless of the type of train accident, victims often suffer injuries that are serious and sometimes life-changing. For example, it is not unusual for victim of train accident to suffer a back injury, neck injury, brain injury, broken bones, or spinal cord injury. Unfortunately, in some instances train accidents involve fatalities. If you were injured in an accident involving a train, it is important that you understand that the law related to train accidents is complex. Filing a claim to recover damages may involve filing a claim against a government agency. It is critical that an experienced Long Island train accident lawyer is on your team as there are special rules and deadlines for filing a lawsuit against the government.

Types of train accidents

According to federal statistics the most common types of railroad accidents are derailments, collisions with cars, and collisions with other trains. The causes of these accidents are many, including:

• Alcohol or drug use
• Malfunctioning railroad crossing signals
• Poor maintenance of tracks and signals
• Failure to properly inspect tracks
• Operator fatigue
• Excessive speed

In addition, there also accidents that do not involve collisions or derailments, but involve victims suffering injuries in stations, platforms and on trains from falls and other types of incidents.

Pursuing a claim

Depending on the facts of your case, if you are hurt in a train accident, on a train platform, or in a train station due to the negligence of another person, you may be entitled to compensation based on the losses you suffered.

• Medical bills: As an experienced train accident attorney in Long Island will explain, through a personal injury claim you may be able to recover expenses for medical treatment related to the injuries from the accident including your hospital stay, surgery, outpatient treatment, medication, rehabilitation and visits to your doctors and specialists.
• Loss of income: If your injury is serious you may need to stay home from work for an extended period while you recover. This means that you will not receive your regular paychecks or have access to certain benefits related to working. You can ask for compensation to cover these lost wages to recover these losses.
• Pain and suffering: You may also be able to recover compensation related to the physical and emotional pain you experienced as a result of the accident. This type of recovery is available in cases where the injuries are severe, the recovery period is long, and the injuries are permanent.
• Wrongful death: If a family member was killed in a train accident, you may have the right to file a wrongful death claim and seek compensation for the victim's medical expenses, for funeral expenses and other losses.

Hypothetical

A Long Island railroad train conductor failed to sufficiently slow down as it pulled into a station. As a result the train jumped the track. Harriet was standing on the platform when this occurred. The train hit her. Harriet was rushed to the hospital with a head injury as well as several broken bones. The train accident was investigated, and it was determined that the accident was caused by operator error. Harriet filed a claim against the operator and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Harriet will likely prevail in her claim since the investigation proved that the operator of the train was at fault.

Contact the Law Offices of Stephen Bilkis & Associates

If you have been seriously injured in a train collision or derailment, or in an accident in a train station or on a platform, you are probably facing significant medical expenses, time away from work, and a range of difficult emotions. Contact the Law Offices of Stephen Bilkis & Associates to discuss the details of your case. Our staff is experienced in handling claims resulting from train accidents, subway accidents, as well as other types of accident such as slip and fall accidents, SUV accidents, car accidents, and motorcycle accidents. Contact an experienced train accident attorney serving Long Island at 800.696.9529 to schedule a free, no obligation consultation regarding your case. We represent clients in the following locations: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Long Island, Manhattan, Nassau County, Queens, Staten Island, Suffolk County and Westchester County.

---