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illness or injury - nationwide
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Rail bridge strikes, where a vehicle hits a bridge causing it to become destabilised, can have a serious effect on passenger safety and may even result in a railway accident.
Both professional drivers and managers of the rail system need to be aware of the risks and telltale signs of a bridge strike.
Perhaps the greatest risk to train passenger safety is bridge strikes involving a heavy goods vehicle, particularly those being driven by foreign drivers who may be unfamiliar with British roads and driving on the left-hand side of the road.
As such, industry bodies and government groups try to educate drivers to reduce the risk. One attempt was the "Strike it Out" campaign which was launched in 2010 in Scotland.
Chris MacRae, Head of Policy for the Freight Transport Association, said of the campaign, "The Freight Transport Association supports this initiative to raise awareness and provide routing information for vehicle operators. The consequences of bridge strikes for safety and network disruption are severe. We work with Network Rail and other authorities in this area and will be helping to distribute the leaflet produced by Transport Scotland as part of this campaign.
"A main cause of bridge strikes has been an over reliance from some drivers on their sat-navs, which is why FTA worked closely with industry to produce a lorry-friendly unit. It is hoped that this will help end those all too familiar stories of lorry drivers coming unstuck after using sat-nav designed for cars."
Although there have been very few serious railway accidents caused by bridge strikes, there is concern in some quarters that this could lead to complacency.
However, Network Rail maintains that it will remain vigilant. "Safety is our top priority and we will seek any opportunities to make any further improvements so rail remains the safest form of travel in this country," says a spokesperson.
No win, no fee compensation specialist YouClaim comments, "It is essential that the integrity of bridges is regularly checked and that drivers are educated on how to avoid bridge strikes. Ensuring these things can make a real difference to passenger safety."
Claim compensation for railway accident injuries
All of our personal injury solicitors are members of the Law Society personal injury regulation scheme and all work for railway accident claimants on a completely charge-free basis; win or lose.
Plus, we guarantee that you will be protected from all possible costs, fees and disbursements.
The most common type of railway-related accidents involve slips, trips and falls – here at YouClaim we can help you claim for this type of incident as well as more serious types of passenger injury, such as those caused by collisions and derailments.
If you would like to find out more about our service and our 100% compensation promise (we never take a cut), feel free to consult a legal advisor by using echat, completing an online claim form or calling us, on 0800 10 757 95.
