We can help you claim
compensation following an accident
illness or injury - nationwide
Call: 0800 10 757 95
Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) prosecutions seek to minimise the chances of a railway accident occurring.
In 2009 a safety breach by Network Rail resulted in ORR fining the company £70,000 as well as ordering it to pay £25,000 costs.
It related to an incident that occurred at a level crossing in Norfolk in which a heavy rubber panel had become loose, causing the train, which was travelling at 90mph, to become derailed. Although the railway accident did not result in passenger injury, it could so easily have been otherwise, not least because several other vehicles were involved.
ORR's safety directorate found that Network Rail had failed to secure the panel with an adequate number of sleepers, in contravention of the Level Crossing Regulations 1997.
Network Rail did not contest the findings and pleaded guilty to offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. A spokesperson for the company commented, "Network Rail takes full responsibility for what happened at Croxton on 12 September 2006.
"As ever, safety is a top priority for us and our record is good."
ORR's deputy chief inspector of railways said that it was a very serious incident which, but for good luck, could have been catastrophic.
He added, "The repeated failings of Network Rail's level crossing maintenance system at Croxton put road users and people on trains at great risk - and that is simply unacceptable.
"The derailment highlights the importance of effective infrastructure maintenance, so that equipment is installed to appropriate standards and that maintenance checks identify and fix deterioration before it becomes dangerous.
"It also demonstrates the need for more effective training of the workers who install and maintain key assets. Effective management by Network Rail of their maintenance regime would have identified that maintenance and inspection records for this crossing were missing, unsigned, and in at least one instance, signed by a person who did not complete the work."
Cost free passenger injury compensation claims
In the event that infrastructural failings result in you suffering personal injury in a train crash, it may be possible to claim passenger injury compensation.
Although the most serious injuries tend to be caused by derailments or collisions, it is also possible to claim for minor injuries, such as those caused by slips, trips or falls.
The train injury litigation specialists on our panel are ranked among the UK's leading experts and are drawn exclusively from firms governed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
If you would like to establish whether it might be in your interests to pursue a cost free claim - we will ensure that you are insulated from all possible charges associated with your case - speak with an advisor today.
Simply click on echat, complete an online claim form or call us, on 0800 10 757 95.
We provide 100 percent compensation; no cut is ever taken from the railway accident settlements of our clients.
