Personal Injury Law

Collisions with Trains kills Teenagers in Pennsylvania and Florida

By Hurley, McKenna & Murtz

This week, two fatal train collisions claimed the lives of five teenagers. The first of the incidents occurred in Melbourne Florida, which claimed the lives of three teenage girls horsing around on the tracks. The fourth, a boy was able to escape just in time. After ignoring no trespass signs and a verbal warning from a fisherman, the train was upon the teens before they even had time to move.

The second tragedy occurred near Philadelphia when a high speed Amtrak train from Boston to Washington, D.C. struck and killed two teenage girls who were supposed to be at school, but had left at some point and were on the train tracks near the school around 10:30a.m. when they were struck. A third girl with them reported the accident. (AP for FindLaw, 2/25).

These two tragedies should remind us all of the need to take extra precaution around train tracks. As a personal injury lawyer, I am saddened by these scenarios, but both incidents illustrate the need to take seriously the dangerous surrounding train tracks, especially for teenagers. Each year, several incidents similar to these occur when fun gets taken just one step too far.

Full post as published by Illinois Car and Truck Accident Lawyer Blog on February 28, 2010 (boomark / email).