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bay area amtrak train crash | Northern California Personal Injury Blog

CA Amtrak Train Derailment Involving Big Rig Causes Injuries South of Hanford

By Kelly Balamuth on October 2, 2012

A big rig driver caused the derailment of southbound Amtrak train 712 out of Oakland headed towards Bakersfield on Monday, October 1, 2012 when the truck driver failed to yield and plowed into the passenger train, according to MercuryNews.com. The impact caused the train to travel about 600 feet after the crash before it hit a switchback and derailed. Two passenger cars and the locomotive were pushed off the tracks.

The crash occurred around 12:20 p.m. about 20 miles south of the farming town of Hanford in the Central Valley at a railroad crossing on the BNSF Railway freight tracks at Kansas Avenue. According to the Fresno Bee, witnesses told investigators that the crossing arms were in fact lowered at the guarded crossing when the big rig barreled through.

After the Kings County train crash, passengers were evacuated onto a nearby alfalfa field where paramedics treated the injured before transporting them to area hospitals as necessary. Out of the 169 passengers aboard the train, between 40 and 50 suffered injuries, including bumps, bruises, scrapes, and some possible bone fractures, according to an update on USAToday.com. It was also reported that a baby had been thrown from the train, but fortunately did not suffer serious injury. The uninjured passengers were transported to the Hanford Civic Auditorium by school buses to await pick up by either family or buses to continue to their destinations.

When the negligence of another causes an injury accident, the negligent party may be held responsible through a personal injury claim. In this train accident, the truck driver’s failure to yield, as reported, constitutes negligence and may warrant legal action. At Balamuth Law, our knowledgeable Oakland truck accident attorneys are committed to holding negligent truck drivers accountable for their actions. To learn more about how you may get the compensation you deserve, call us for a free consultation at (888) 254-1234.

Bay Area Amtrak Train Crash Injures 18 People

By Kelly Balamuth on October 19, 2011

In the Bay Area’s second Amtrak train accident in the past two weeks, eighteen people were injured when two passenger trains collided at the Jack London Amtrak Station in Oakland., according to officials. An Amtrak spokesman told Reuters that the locomotive of the San Joaquin train (carrying eight people) collided directly into a stopped Coast Starlight (carrying 137 people, who sustained the majority of injuries) on Wednesday, October 12 around 10:00 p.m.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the accident occurred when the San Joaquin train ran through a red light and hit the Starlight, which was stopped while loading and unloading passengers. The Coast Starlight was traveling from Los Angeles to Seattle, while the San Joaquin was going from Bakersfield to Oakland. The spokesman for Amtrak said that none of the injuries appeared to be severe and that the crash was classified as “slow moving”; however, the exact speed of the train was not known. According to the Fire Department, several passengers were immediately immobilized by emergency medical professionals as a safety measure in the event of spinal injuries, while one individual suffered a broken arm.

All those affected by the crash were taken to, and treated at, a nearby hospital in the area. Service inbound and outbound was halted through Thursday morning, and representatives from Amtrak and Union Pacific Freight Railroad (the track’s owner ) will examine the accident under the direction of federal officials. Have you been injured in a train accident in Northern California? Contact the Bay Area personal injury lawyers Balamuth Harrington at 1(888)254-1234 for a complimentary consultation.

Attorney Kelly Balamuth was profiled in the
September 2013 Issue of Plaintiff Magazine.

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