Rail Safety Week in Park Ridge
Are train commuters and drivers in
the Chicago area at risk of serious personal injury in a
railway accident? According to a recent article from WGN
Chicago, railroad accidents are much
more common in towns like Park Ridge, Evanston, and Des Plaines than most of us
would like to think.
During the week of September 18, an
added police presence appeared near Chicago-area railroad crossings to promote
rail safety in our state. Indeed, this attention to personal injuries and
railroad accidents—which involved police and approximately 275 agencies across
the state—represented the first ever Illinois Rail Safety Week. Some of those
agencies included Park Ridge police and Union Pacific workers.
Why has so much attention shifted to
railway safety? According to the article, Illinois actually ranked 3rd in
the nation last year for “having the most railroad crossing fatalities.”
In total, 46 people suffered fatal injuries in 2013 in railway
collisions. While most commuters have been receptive to safety
information about crossing railroad tracks, “others just brush them off,
complaining they don’t want to miss their train downtown.” It’s those
commuters—the ones who are in a rush and aren’t paying enough attention to
personal injury risks—that the new campaign hopes to reach.
The Illinois Rail Safety Week comes
twenty years after a tragic rail accident took the life of 14-year-old Lauren
Wilson, who lost her life at a train crossing in Hinsdale. Her brother
had been driving her to a high school performance and, in a rush, went around
the train safety gates. According to reports, “a Metra train smashed
their jeep into a tree” and Lauren sustained severe injuries from which she
never recovered. Her family has been working since that date to improve
rail safety in Illinois, encouraging towns like Park Ridge, Mt. Prospect,
Arlington Heights, and Schaumburg to install added video cameras and to increase
fines for railroad violations.
Illinois Railroad Offenses
What kinds of railroad crossings can
result in a fine? In Illinois, these violations can involve vehicle
crossings, pedestrian crossings, railroad property trespassing, and parking violations.
When it comes to vehicle crossing violations, you can receive a fine for
the following:
·
Disobeying a signal indicating the approach of a
train (which includes driving through, under, or around train gates);
·
Stopping on the railroad tracks;
·
Improper passing near a railroad crossing;
·
Failing to stop at a railroad crossing if you’re
driving a “special vehicle” (includes certain buses, vehicles carrying
hazardous materials, and vehicles moving heavy equipment); and
· Reckless
driving near railroad tracks.
Pedestrian crossing violations
include:
·
Violating the crossing gates; and
·
Violating warning devices.
Violations for trespass on railroad
property include:
·
Trespass on railroad or yard; and
·
Malicious removal of railroad property or damage
to railroad property (which includes throwing or shooting objects at a train).
Illinois residents also can be fined
for improper parking near railroad property.
If you or a loved one has been
seriously injured in a railway accident, it’s important to discuss your case
with an experienced Park Ridge personal injury attorney.
Personal injuries can result from the bad acts or negligence of another
party, and victims may be eligible to file claims for compensation. At
Allegretti & Associates, we are here to help.
