Three Fatal Missouri Train Incidents Over Holiday Weekend

Two Young Women Struck and Killed by Amtrak Train

Monday night, two women were struck and killed by an Amtrak train.  The area is near Kingshighway passage over the railroad tracks south of Manchester Avenue. According to reports, the two 20 year-old women may have been there for an impromptu music concert.

Reports say the women were sitting on the tracks at around 11:30 p.m.   It is unclear if the engineer sounded a horn or if they were in a “quiet zone” in which trains don’t normally blow their horns.  Train conductors normally blow their horns at road crossings. An Amtrak spokesperson said engineers can also blow their horns at anytime they see someone on or near the tracks in order to avoid train accidents.

Fatal MetroLink Incident Near Union Station

A 55 year-old man was struck and killed by a MetroLink train near Union Station last Friday evening.  Few details have been offered thus far.   Following  these train  incidents,  MoDOT has issued fresh warnings about safety around railroad tracks. They point out that modern-day trains are much more quiet than they used to be so many people operate under the assumption that they will certainly hear a train coming but that is not always the case.

As well, MoDOT pointed out that you can still be too close to a train even if you are not standing on the tracks.  Trains actually take up quite a bit more space than the actual track–about three feet on either side of the track.

MoDOT- “Stay Off, Stay Away, Stay Alive”

Approximately 15 Missourians were killed in railroad related incidents in 2015 and the four over the weekend including a fatality in Hannibal prompted MoDOT to release safety reminders.  The incident in Hannibal involved a Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight train in Ralls County.  The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported the 19 year old Hannibal boy was walking south on the tracks when he was struck by the train around 4:30 on July 4th.

Train Crossings

Incidents involving trains most commonly occur at road crossings. However, in metropolitan areas more pedestrians are tragically killed in collisions with trains. Common factors in train accidents are lack of warning, lack of horn sounding, impaired hearing such as ear phones or improper maintenance of the train warning systems.  Collisions with trains almost always result in serious injuries and/or death.  Investigators will continue to look into this incident to determine potential causes and contributing causes of thee tragic fatalities.

Tragically, several pedestrians have been killed or seriously injured in the last few summers when they were walking along or crossing the tracks. Each incident is tragic and unique.  Finding the causes of the incidents is one way to increase prevention in metropolitan areas.

Train Accident Attorneys

At The Cagle Law Firm, we represent the families of those killed in train incidents. As well, we represent railroad workers injured in train incidents in Missouri and Illinois.  Workers injured on the railroad are eligible to file a FELA case which the Federal Employers Liability Act passed in 1908.  Train incidents are not very common but they are always serious.

If you’ve been injured in a train incident or if you have lost a family member due a train incident, it is important to speak with an expert attorney right away.  Our attorneys are available seven days a week.

Call us toll free 1.800.685.3302 or locally 31.276.1681