Amtrak Train Accident Lawyers Serving People Injured in Illinois and Beyond
Congress passed legislation in 1970 to create Amtrak, a nationwide railway service transporting passengers and luggage throughout the continental United States. Over thirty million people ride on Amtrak trains annually, and there are roughly 10,000 Amtrak-related accidents across the United States each year.
Most of these accidents occur while passengers are on platforms or boarding and exiting trains. Still, more severe accidents may occur involving vehicles at railroad crossings, derailments, or incidents involving passing trains.
Amtrak is a private company that could be held legally liable if passengers or bystanders are injured due to negligent actions.
Hiring a Chicago Amtrak Train Injury Attorney
The Chicago train accident attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers help commuter and pedestrian victims of Amtrak, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), and METRA train railroad accidents with moderate to serious injuries and wrongful death.
Our personal injury attorneys currently represent train accident victims throughout the United States, Illinois, and the Chicago area, including Cook County, DuPage County, Kane County, Lake County, Will County, Aurora, Chicago, Elgin, LaSalle, Naperville, and Waukegan.
Amtrak Train Accident FAQs
Types of Accidents Encountered by Passengers on Amtrak Trains
Not all passenger train injuries are the result of train-car accidents, freight train collision, or derailment, but may occur during normal and regular operation. Regardless of how you have been injured, it is crucial to investigate whether steps could have been taken to provide a safer environment or warn passengers of hazards.
Common Amtrak train crashes include the following.
- Slip, trip, or fall injuries — These injuries may occur when passengers are moving inside of the train or when they are boarding or leaving the train. Inclement weather can cause surfaces to become slick, and objects placed in the aisles on the train can pose a tripping hazard.
Train platforms may be slippery if it is cold, raining, or snowing, and warnings must be present to alert travelers to these hazards. (Look here for more discussion)
- Sudden stops or accelerating — Should the train come to a sudden halt or lurch forward in sudden movements, passengers can be thrown from their seats or fall if they are in the aisle when the sudden deceleration or acceleration occurs.
- Poorly maintained premises — Premises liability refers to the responsibility of any property owner to ensure that reasonable measures are taken to ensure safety and warn of hazards.
Passengers could be injured on a train platform while traveling through a train station or while on any other property that is owned or maintained by Amtrak. In these incidents, Amtrak may be held liable for the repayment of medical and other financial expenses.
- Employee negligence— Employees are not perfect. They might make mistakes that lead to injuries. It is the responsibility of Amtrak to provide compensation if an employee harms a traveler through any negligent action.
- Collision or derailment— the most severe and far-reaching accidents involve collisions with other vehicles or train derailments. Trains are mighty and massive machines capable of doing incredible damage to property and injuring passengers and bystanders.
When this happens, Amtrak may be held liable to the families of any person killed in the incident and directly to any who have been injured or suffered damage to personal property.
If you, family members, or a loved one were injured in an Amtrak accident, it is crucial to report your injury immediately, seek medical treatment, and collect as much information as possible about the scene of the accident so that an experienced attorney may begin an investigation into the injury case to determine the cause of your injuries as well as a fault.
Since not all injuries are immediately apparent, Amtrak might not know that you have been injured unless you report the incident. Filing a report with both the police and Amtrak and seeking medical care establishes that you were indeed injured and have a potential personal injury claim.
Hire an Amtrak Train Accident Lawyer to Handle Your Case
The Illinois train accident injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC represent victims injured in Amtrak train accidents. If you were a passenger, railroad worker, or employee involved in a railroad company train accident and were injured, let us collect pertinent information needed to investigate your case.
Contact our law firm today at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone call) or through the contact form to schedule a free consultation. All discussions with our law firm remain confidential through an attorney-client relationship.
If for any reason we fail to collect compensation on your behalf, our time and resources will be completely free of charge. Please do not send sensitive information to our law office through voicemail, email, or text message.
Our attorneys follow social distancing guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19 (coronavirus).