Train Accidents | Phoenix Personal Injury Law Blog
Arizona Laws to Prevent Train Collisions
Although you’ve heard of Arizona train collisions it doesn’t stop you from being annoyed every time a bus or large truck stops before the train tracks when there’s no train coming. This stop is all about train safety and helping to stop the occurrence of train accidents throughout the state. ARS 28-853 requires school buses, vehicles for hire, and vehicles carrying explosives to stop no less than 15 feet from the beginning of the railroad tracks. At the same time, these vehicles are not permitted to stop more than 50 feet from the beginning of a railroad track. Upon starting safely across the tracks, no vehicle is allowed to enter the tracks in a gear that requires shifting while on the tracks. This last restriction prevents drivers from becoming stuck and creating a serious and dangerous hazard.
Metro Light Rail Launches Rider Safety Campaign in Arizona
Last month, Transportation for America, a national group that focuses on aligning national, state, and local transportation policies revealed that the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale metropolitan area is the eighth deadliest area for pedestrians out of 52 metropolitan areas. This ranking was based on a nine-year period.
According to Transportation for America, the Phoenix metro area had an average of 2.3 deaths per 100,000 people with a total of 867 pedestrian deaths. Although Phoenix officials disagree with the numbers, Metro Light Rail has, nonetheless, launched a campaign urging riders not to run for the train. The agency believes that it is necessary to promote pedestrian and passenger safety, and to help minimize accidents caused by jaywalking.
Arizona Train Accident Causes and Common Injuries
In the United States, there are about 500 trains that travel on thousands of miles of railroad track. However, while there has been much advancement in technology in other industries, the railroad industry remains relatively the same as it was a hundred years ago, making the technology used by the railroad industry old and outdated, and therefore prone to train accidents.
There are many factors that can result in a train accident in Arizona. For instance, a train could experience electrical or mechanical failure, problems with maintenance, train operator error because of communication, or signal error. Additionally, if a train has structural defects or if the train tracks are old or improperly maintained, this could cause the train to derail or crash.
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