A Mississippi woman was tragically killed when the car she was riding in was struck by a train on Tuesday August 4th in Colbert County, Alabama. According to a report inFlorence’s TimesDaily newspaper, the crossing where this car wreck occurred has flashing lights and crossbars. The report indicates the driver of the car went around the crossbars and was struck by the train on the passenger side and pushed off the road about 70 feet from the point of impact. The driver of the car was flown from the scene to Huntsville Hospital. This is the 31st automobile accident that has resulted in a fatality in northwest Alabama.
According to the Alabama Department of Public Safety, in 2008, there were 84 train/automobile wrecks that resulted in 10 deaths and 34 injuries in Alabama. This is an increase from 2007, where there were 72 train/automobile wrecks that resulted in 14 deaths and 25 injuries.
As experienced Alabama car accident lawyers, over the years we have represented numerous people who were involved in car accidents with a train. Often crashes between an automobile and a train are caused by a lack of warning devices such as flashing lights or cross bars. Other times these car/train accidents are caused by some line of sight problem where the automobile driver’s ability to see an oncoming train is obstructed by some object. However, many times as it appears is the case in this unfortunate accident, the driver of the automobile is at fault for failing to heed the warning devices. For more information on train crossing safety – visit Operation Lifesaver.