Florida Increase Need for Lawyers
[template id=”10409″]The Sun-Sentinel reported this morning on that the death toll on railroad tracks in South Florida has nearly doubled in 2017 from 2016.
The report cited data that showed through September of 2017, twenty-three people lost their lives due to suicide or accidental death in collisions with trains operated by Tri-Rail, CSX (shipping), and Florida East Coast Railway, on which Amtrak passenger trains operate.
Compared to only 14 deaths in all of 2016, twenty-three in only nine months is a staggering increase.
Why is this important to our law firm? The reason is that some of these incidents may be legitimate personal injury death claims. The surviving family members could hold the owners and operators of these dangerous machinery accountable if there was negligence involved on the part of the owners.
Our law firm has handled several of these cases this year
Of the twenty-three death cases recorded in South Florida in 2017, our law firm has represented the families in several of those cases. Because of confidentiality for both the family and the defendants, we will not go into any specific details on any of those cases.
However, there is some information insight we can provide.
Firstly, the operators of the rail line are responsible for ensuring that the rail line is operated in a safe manner. That may mean that the trains and commuter lines be operated within established speed and guidelines. That also may mean keeping their premises blocked or cordoned off from pedestrian, vehicle, or bicyclist traffic at dangerous or populous intersections.
If any safety measures were breached during the operation of any rail line, whether it be logistical train lines operated by CSX, or commuter lines operated by Tri-Rail or Brightline, and the result is that someone was killed, that may be a personal injury case.
A Brightline train waits to board passengers. The problem with railroad deaths is only expected to rise as Brightline comes into full service from Miami to West Palm Beach.
Another interested point to note is that these rail cars, especially the newer, faster, and more technologically advances rail cars like Brightline, are deceivingly quiet. Though the report released today cites some portion of the deaths being linked to suicide, it’s entirely possible for someone to stumbled upon the rail line, and be killed un-expectantly.
These are extremely difficult cases to prosecute in civil court, which is what our law firm does on behalf of the families who lose loves ones due to accidental and fatal encounters with trains throughout South Florida.
But we do our very best to pursue justice on behalf of our clients. If we can prove negligence was a factor, we will relentlessly pursue these operators.
As with all potential personal injury matters, families of loves ones who have lost someone should call our law firm to find out if we can help. Consultations are completely free, and there is no cost or fees for our firm to begin working on the case. We are only paid if we secure a settlement or verdict on behalf of our client.
