The tragic Bourbonnais train accident

A horrific train accident occurred in the US during 1999 which resulted in fatalities to 11 passengers and hundreds more passenger injuries.

City of New Orleans, a passenger train, was hit by a truck loaded with steel in the city of Bourbonnais, Illinois, just south of Chicago. During the collision both of the train's locomotives and 11 of the train's 14 passenger cars were derailed. The derailed cars then hit two of the 10 freight cars that were sitting next to the mainline.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated the train accident and it was found that the truck driver was at fault. It was reported that the driver had tried to beat the train across the level crossing and didn't quite make it so the devastating impact occurred.

The truck driver was sentenced to two years imprisonment for logbook and service violations and although his lack of rest was not proven to have contributed to the train accident, the judge sentencing his trial commented that the driver would have been more able to make safe driving decisions had he had more rest. This error, resulting from a bad driving decision resulted in the deaths and serious personal injuries to many of the train's passengers.

Not only did the train accident leave 11 people dead and 122 with passenger injuries, but it also cost the US a total of $14 million in damages, including compensation claim awards for those involved in the crash.

The NTSB made a number of recommendations:

Increased enforcement of level crossing signals

Use of traffic division islands to deter motorists from trying to drive around crossing gates

Installation of event records at all new or improved level crossings

Implementation of improved crew accountability procedure on passenger trains

To provide emergency responders with accurate lists of all crew members and train passengers

It was also voted by the local village board in January 2006 that the grade crossing where the Bourbonnais train accident occurred should be permanently closed and a replacement crossing should be built close-by, with a view to preventing similar train accidents in the future.

This sort of advice can be extended to the UK where a number of train accidents still occur on level crossings particularly in country locations where full barrier gates are not supplied.

Make a no win, no fee claim for passenger injury compensation following a train accident
Whether you have been involved in a serious train accident like the one described above or a minor bus accident and wish to make a claim for whiplash injury compensation if you have sustained passenger injuries through no fault of your own then it is likely that you are in a position to make a compensation claim.

No matter what mode of transport you were travelling in at the time of your accident, the driver or the transport company that you were travelling with has a duty of care towards you. If this duty of care was violated you are entitled to make a compensation claim against them.

Claim for pain, suffering, lost earnings, medical expenses such as prescriptions and belongings that were lost or damaged at the time of your accident all on a no win, no fee basis under the representation of an expert personal injury solicitor.

Making a no win, no fee claim for passenger injuries couldn't be simpler, just give us a call or contact us via email. We are available 24 hours a day and if you leave us a call back request we will contact you at the time you specify is most convenient. Alternatively, make a claim after a train accident by filling out one of our online forms or giving us a ring on 0800 10 757 95.