Sacramento Train Accident Leaves 27 People Injured
Sacramento Train Accident Leaves 27 People Injured
A train accident in Sacramento on Aug. 29 left 27 injured prompting a major response from emergency crews. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, the light-rail passenger train derailed at Roseville Road and Marconi Avenue. Fire officials said 27 patients were injured including 13 who were taken to two trauma centers. The remaining patients were treated at the scene and released.
Several Injuries Reported
More than 40 firefighters and 15 ambulances responded to the scene to transport injured victims to area hospitals. Fire officials said it is extremely uncommon and rare for a train accident of this magnitude to occur in the city. No fatalities were reported. None of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries.
The Sacramento Bee reports that the accident occurred on the Regional Transit (RT) light-rail system after one of its trains collided with a maintenance train in north Sacramento. This is the second collision to occur between two trains in Sacramento since RT began operating light-rail service in 1987.
The Bee reported that the collision occurred in a dark and isolated area of rails parallel to Roseville Road and Del Paso Park where RT tracks cross Arcade Creek. The scene of the accident was between RT’s Winter Street station, where the tracks cross under Interstate 80 and into Sacramento city limits, and Marconi Avenue. One passenger told the media that as the train derailed, he flipped over the top of his bike and saw a fellow passenger hit a bench and split his leg open.
Causes and Compensation Issues
Based on news reports, it is still unclear as to what caused this train accident. Was the engineer distracted at the time? Did a mechanical malfunction in one of the vehicles cause the collision? Did the engineer or some other employee in charge of operating the train make an error? We trust investigators are looking into these and other issues in order to determine precisely why this train accident occurred.
In such cases, injured victims can seek compensation for damages such as medical expenses, lost income, hospitalization, cost of rehabilitation, pain and suffering and emotional distress. Broken bone injuries can be extremely common in such situations and recovering from them could take lengthy physical therapy, rest and ongoing treatment. All of this, of course, could prove costly.
It is important the train accident victims seek the counsel of an experienced California train accident lawyer who will remain on top of the investigation and ensure that their legal rights and best interests are protected.
