Chicago-Land Personal Injury Lawyer - Mass Transit (Airline, Cruise Ship, Train, Bus)

Mind the Gap: Bridge Safety Still Falling Short

Nick Avgerinos — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:05:00 GMT

“The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” With all the hidden traps that technology sets, it’s easy to worry that the world will soon be crumbling all around us. And, as we have seen with numerous examples—perhaps most notably, global warming—our aging earth and our aging country require that we make some major changes to keep them habitable. It’s unfortunate that it often takes drastic events like 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina to really call our attention to such problems. What’s even more unfortunate, however, is when we fail to respond.

That appears to be the case regarding the Minneapolis bridge collapse that happened a year ago. The country’s citizens were stunned by the site of the crumpled bridge, worried about our fellow commuters, and frustrated, wondering, “How could this happen?” And then, naturally, “Could that happen here?”

The answer is yes. Bridges, like most things, are only built to last so long. And it seems we’ve reached the breaking point; it’s time to give them a facelift. The problem is that so many of them need that facelift simultaneously. In 2006, the Federal Highway Administration reported that 1 in 4 of the nation’s bridges were at risk. As calculated by the American Society for Civil Engineers, it would cost nearly $10 billion every year for the next two decades to fix them.

According to a new study, conducted for the Reason Foundation, Illinois ranks 10^th best in the nation in its upkeep of bridges. While that may sound promising, it merely serves to point out the sad state of transportation affairs; more than 4,300 of the approximately 26,000 bridges in the state are considered structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.

There doesn’t seem to be an easy solution, either. High gas prices have sparked more car pooling and fewer road trips; that’s good news for the environment, but bad news for the Highway Trust Fund, which relies on gas tax money. That Fund, which had an $8 billion dollar balance at the beginning of the current fiscal year, expects to have a $3.1 billion deficit in the next fiscal year.

Minnesota has been taking extra measures to ensure bridge safety since last year’s disaster, but it, too, lacks the funds for the complete overhaul needed. Mercedes Gordon, a survivor of that collapse wonders why sales taxes were used to subsidize a new baseball stadium, but funds cannot be found to repair bridges. She questioned: “What’s more important: baseball or safe traveling? Should we all be afraid every time we cross a bridge now?”

And while I’m reluctant to pose the former question in a city where the crosstown rivalry leads many to treat baseball like a religion, I think the latter question is important; we probably should be nervous about the situation. Maybe this latest study will emphasize the salience of the problem, inspiring legislators to find solutions, rather than dismiss concerns as a Chicken Little-type rant.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Nick Avgerinos

Cramped Quarters: Freak Accident Seriously Injures Metra Rider

Nick Avgerinos — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:13:00 GMT

With gas prices soaring, many are opting for a greener commute: the train. The Chicago Tribune recently noted this trend, explaining that many commuters are left to pack into the aisles, sit on stairs, or wait in the vestibule. While that might be good news for the environment (and Metra), it’s hardly a positive development for train safety.

Ridership is up; it was up by more than a million passengers (or 5%) in the first four months of 2008. One can only imagine the surge now that summer is upon us! And for those of you picturing one or two people standing, waiting to get off the train, you’re wrong. Picture shoulder-to-shoulder people, jockeying for seats and struggling to stay standing. In fact, just this month, a twenty-year rider experienced a first: he couldn’t get on the train. That’s right, the vestibule was so packed that there wasn’t even a way to wedge himself in, leaving the man stranded until the next train.

And while some might argue that the comparatively low cost of train tickets and its benefit to the environment is worth a little discomfort, the safety problem this space crunch creates is palpable. The June 20^th freak accident on the Rock Island Metra line highlights this safety concern.

As reported, around 7:30 a.m., a woman was standing in the vestibule of a train car when one of the car’s steel doors came crashing down upon her. She was rushed to the hospital in serious condition. What happened? Apparently, the door crashed into her after being hit by a dislodged crossing gate. The crossing gate split the seam of a sliding train door. Metra reports that this is the first time anything of this nature has ever happened on the line.

The details of this tragic accident are still forthcoming. We don’t know if the injured woman was waiting for her stop and simply happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, or if there simply wasn’t any place for her to sit. Either way, it calls our attention to the potentially dire consequences of packing those cars so tightly every day.

As I’ve written before, it’s important that you do all that you can to stay safe while riding the rails. Let’s hope that Metra also does its part to develop a more comfortable commute and safer situation for its growing community of riders.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Nick Avgerinos

Train Derails in Chicago's South Side

Courtney Mills — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:25:46 GMT

An Amtrak passenger train traveling from Grand Rapids struck the rear of a parked Norfolk Southern Freight train earlier this morning on Chicago's south side. As a result of the crash, some 45 passengers were taken to area hospitals, among whom six were seriously injured.

According to media reports, there were 187 passengers on the train. The six passengers suffering from critical injuries allegedly were Amtrak employees, according to Amtrak officials.

The train crashed because of human or mechanical failure - it was as yet undetermined. Fifteen ambulances were called to the scene to attend to the injured passengers. Fortunately the train was not moving full speed at the time. The train was moving fast enough however to end up on top of the train it crashed into.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Airline, Trains, Cruise, Bus, and Other Mass Transit.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Courtney Mills

NTSB Blames Chicago Transit Authority for Subway Delrailment

Chrissie Cole — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 12:56:26 GMT

A faulty maintenance operation and track inspection were both main factors in last year's Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) subway derailment that was responsible for injuring over 150 people, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

A report released today states, the NTSB also determined insufficient time was allowed for inspections and limited training of inspectors also helped to contribute to unsafe conditions of the CTA's Blue Line.

According to the report an investigation discovered that CTA inspectors failed to report defective track conditions prior to the accident, although the problems were obvious.

The CTA says they are making strides in addressing issues that were raised by the report.

About 1,000 passengers were aboard the eight-car train when it derailed during the early evening rush period on July 16, 2006, causing a smoky fire.
The accident caused more than $1 million in damage.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole