By Richard N. Shapiro, Railroad Accident Injury Attorney

Union Pacific officials are calling a fatal derailment in Wrightsville, Arkansas (AR), on March 20, 2011, a “rare situation.” I’m sure that eases the minds of the victim’s friends and family members and assures everyone who drives, rides or walks through the crossing where the accident occurred that they should have no future safety concerns.

Robert Graham was stopped near the crossbucks and lights marking the intersection of UP tracks and a rural highway when a train car jumped the rails, tipped over and landed on his car. Graham was pronounced dead at the scene. No train crew members suffered injuries in the derailment.

The railroad resumed operations along the tracks within 12 hours, even as its spokespeople estimated that determining the cause of the derailing could take months.

Railroad crossings on the same level as roads — called grade crossings in the rail industry — present significant risks to people in cars and trucks, as well as to pedestrians and bicyclists. Each year, thousands of Americans lose their lives or get injured at grade crossings. Private  crossings that lack gates and often have sightlines obstructed by trees, brush and buildings are particularly deadly.

A derailment may be less common than a collision at a grade crossing, but the result was no less tragic. As a railroad injury attorney living, driving and practicing in a region criss-crossed with dozens of Amtrak, CSX and  Norfolk Southern crossings intersecting rural roads and city streets alike, I’ve seen my share of near-misses and terrible accidents.

When Union Pacific and crash investigators from the Federal Railroad Administration determine what caused the accident in Arkansas, all rail operators should pay attention to the findings and take any necessary actions to improve the safety of their own grade crossings. Making crossings safer will protect members of the public and rail workers. Failing to make crossings less prone to being the site of accidents that cause injuries and death will leave rail operators subject to personal injury, wrongful death and FELA claims. Investing in crossing upgrades should just make financial sense for railroads if nothing else.

EJL

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is an injury law firm with a long history of representing railroad workers in FELA and other railroad injury cases. Check out our railroad injury case results to see for yourself. Our offices are in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA), and Elizabeth City, North Carolina (NC). Our lawyers hold licenses in VA, NC, SC, WV, KY and DC and have handled hundreds of railroad injury and FELA cases throughout the eastern United States. We would like to send you one of our FREE reports about railroad injury and FELA cases, including Dos and Don’ts When Injured at a Railroad — Yours FELA Rights and What Railroad Claim Agents Won’t Tell You (But You Must Know). We provide free initial confidential injury case consultations, so call us toll free at (800) 752-0042 before giving any statement or talking to a railroad claims agent. Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube. Furthermore, our lawyers proudly moderate the Yardlimits Railroad Community Forum and donate to the Fallen Brother Fund.