Recent light rail train accident renews debate over train crossing safety.
Near the end of March, yet another train accident occurred in the LA area. This time, the accident involved the Metro trains, a light rail system not to be confused with the Metrolink trains, which are larger, heavier commuter rail cars. The accident, which took place along Exposition Boulevard near the USC Campus, has renewed the debate as to whether LA County officials are doing enough to protect the public from train accidents.
There were some safety measures in place at the time of the accident: The traffic signal at the intersection turned red, and the train even had huge yellow “watch for trains” signs printed right on it. Nonetheless, a driver still managed to smash directly into the train while attempting to turn left across the tracks. The impact derailed two of the train cars and injured 12 people. One of the victims was in critical condition at the time of this writing.
This is by no means the first time a Metro train accident has occurred at a street crossing. In fact, according to the LA Times this was at least the 18th such accident in the past 12 months. The Expo Line (where this most recent crash occurred) had four accidents this year.
However, the Metro’s Blue Line, which connects Long Beach and downtown Los Angeles, holds the record for the most accidents. With more than 120 pedestrian and driver deaths on this line since its 1990 inception, the Blue Line is actually one of the deadliest light rail lines in the entire country.
So what is going so wrong with light rail in LA? According to a USC engineering professor who has studied rail safety extensively, pedestrians and drivers will make mistakes, even when signs and signals warn them not to cross into the path of a train. The best solution is to use 4-quadrant gate arms to completely close off the train tracks from the cross streets while the train is in motion. This way, drivers cannot possibly get up onto the tracks, even by driving into the opposite lane as the might do to avoid a more traditional 2-quadrant gate arm system. A pedestrian could still manage it, but they would have to be acting more deliberately.
The intersection where the recent Expo line train accident occurred did not have any gate arms at all, which is why the driver was able to get into the path of the train. However, the precise cause of the accident is still being investigated.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a train accident, it is very important to secure the assistance of an experienced personal injury attorney such as Fernando D. Vargas who can untangle the web of possible liable parties and determine which parties to target in a possible personal injury lawsuit.
