Mass transit is vital to our economy. Millions of people use NJ Transit trains/buses or Amtrak trains to commute to and from work or visit friends and family. People who use any form of mass transportation trust that they will depart and arrive safely at their destination. As we have seen in the past, this was not the case for the Amtrak train that derailed on May 12th in Philadelphia.
According to reports, the derailment of the Amtrak train caused severe injuries to over 200 of its passengers and resulted in the deaths of eight individuals.
The first New Jersey lawsuit by one of the passengers on the Amtrak train that derailed was filed in the Monmouth County Superior Courthouse. The complaint alleges in part that on May 12th Amtrak acted negligently, carelessly and recklessly in failing to equip the train with an automated control system that would have slowed the train once it reached excessive speeds. The complaint also alleges that the company failed to properly maintain the train and the tracks, failed to outfit the train with shatterproof glass, and failed to adequately educate its engineers and crew members.
At this point in time, the lawsuit does not detail the nature of the passenger’s injuries but does state that the passenger suffered severe, permanent and life-altering injuries and includes a count for the loss of consortium.
The lawsuit alleges that the engineer failed to reduce the train’s speed as it entered the curve despite the fact that Amtrak had been on notice of the curve’s dangers since 1943. The lawsuit alleges, in part, that Amtrak knowingly and intentionally failed to use readily available safer train control and/or alert system technology which would have prevented this accident.
This accident was devastating and changed the lives of many passengers and families. Someone or some corporation needs to be held accountable when a disaster like this occurs. Any personal injury that results from negligence deserves an outcome that helps make the injured individual whole. Contact us to discuss how we can help you.
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