Charlotte Injury Lawyers Blog
Charlotte Injury Lawyer Matt Arnold answers the question: “What happens if the at-fault driver doesn’t have insurance?”
Hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians rely on the subway and trains to commute to and from work every day. When using light and commuter rail lines, people never expect anything bad to happen to them. However, light rail accidents involving trains and passenger cars are not uncommon.
Liability in Light Rail Accidents in North Carolina
While a government entity that controls and maintains the railway system is likely to be held liable for any accidents that involve trains, it is advised to be represented by a Charlotte personal injury attorney when determining liability in your light rail accident for three reasons:
- There may be more than one liable party;
- The time allowed to file a claim against a government entity is shorter than the statute of limitations for claims against private entities; and
- The potentially liable entity is likely to conduct a thorough investigation in order to find evidence that the injured party was partially or fully to blame.
Light Rail Train Collides with a Car in Charlotte
A collision involving a light-rail train and a motor vehicle in South Charlotte left at least one person injured. As reported by WCNC, the train was traveling on the blue line when it collided with a motor vehicle near a road crossing at the intersection of Sweden Road and South Boulevard.
The Charlotte Fire Department and Pineville Fire Department arrived on the scene of the light rail accident to extract one person from the passenger car. The light rail train suffered front end damage, while the vehicle was totaled.
Causes of Light Rail Accidents
A light rail accident can happen due to different factors. Common causes of light rail accidents in North Carolina include:
- Operator distraction. If the operator gets distracted while operating the train, a light rail accident may occur. Common distractions among train operators are talking on the phone, texting, and even eating.
- Operator error. A large percentage of light rail accidents are caused by operator error, such as traveling too fast. Many operator errors are attributed to inadequate training or negligent hiring on the part of the transit company.
- Failure to perform safety inspections. Transit companies are legally required to perform safety inspections and maintain trains and railroads in good condition to prevent light rail accidents.
- Defective or damaged tracks. The entity that controls and maintains the railroad tracks must repair and replace any defective, damaged, or worn-out tracks.
- Equipment malfunction. Many light rail accidents in North Carolina are caused by equipment failure and defective train parts.
- Railroad crossing or signal and switch malfunction. Trains rely on crossing gates, lights, as well as signals and switches to travel safely. However, when any of these elements malfunction, light rail accidents are more likely to happen.
Who is Responsible for a Light Rail Accident?
In order to establish fault for a light rail accident in North Carolina, it is vital to investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident. Regardless of whether you were injured in a light rail accident as a car driver, pedestrian, passenger, or another party, it is advised to seek help from an experienced local personal injury attorney in the surrounding area.
Contact our attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC, to investigate your accident and determine whether you can obtain compensation for your injury in a light rail accident. Do not hesitate to contact our personal injury attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC, if you have been injured. Call (704) 370-2828 to receive a video or phone consultation with our lawyers to explore your legal options or fill out our contact form. Now taking cases throughout North Carolina with offices in Uptown Charlotte, Mooresville and Monroe.
The skilled personal injury attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC are dedicated to maximizing the financial recovery and obtaining justice for every personal injury client injured by another party’s negligence. The issues our personal injury clients may be facing include, but are not limited to, slip and fall injuries, wrongful death, product liability, catastrophic injuries, dog bite claims, car and truck accident injuries, motorcycle injuries, traumatic brain injury (TBI), nursing home negligence, spinal cord injury, boating accidents, and defective medical device injury. Our personal injury attorneys understand the devastating impact such an injury can have on a person’s life, and that the effects so often go beyond physical pain and suffering. The personal injury attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC are dedicated to helping clients determine the strength of their claims, and to aggressively pursuing the means necessary to achieve the best possible end result for each client’s particular situation.
Source:
Image Credit:
https://www.freeimages.com/photo/fast-train-1562207
See Our Related Video from our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/ArnoldSmithPLLC/videos
See Our Related Blog Posts:
How to Get Compensation for Your Train Accident Injury in Charlotte, N.C.?