Personal Injury Law

Illinois train accident kills St. Louis woman

By Ryan Bradley, Esq.

Heather Sheree Balven, 31, was killed Thursday morning after driving a pickup truck in front of an Amtrak train in Hartford, Illinois.

According to a St. Louis Post Dispatch report, Balven was driving east on 7th street when her truck was hit by the train. The crash occurred around 7:23 a.m.

Investigators pronounced Balven dead at the scene. None of the train's passengers or crew were injured, according to the Post Dispatch.

Toxicological tests for alcohol and drugs in Balven's system have been submitted to authorities, but no results have been released. Information from the train's on-board monitoring system will also be examined.

The train had left St. Louis and was on its way to Chicago.

According to the Post Dispatch, the crossing where the injury occurred does not have a gate, warning lights or bells. It only has an x-shaped warning sign. That particular stretch of track is owned by Kansas City Southern.

This is the third Amtrak incident in the last few months. Fortunately, the last couple incidents did not result in any fatalities. 15 people died in vehicle-train crashes in 2008, according the Post Dispatch.

If any train accident investigation determines that negligence on the part of one of the parties led to a serious injury, a personal injury attorney will be called to try and win damages for the injured.

Full post as published by Missouri Accident Lawyer Blog on March 12, 2009 (boomark / email).