Miami Herald Report Shows That South Florida Has a High Rate of Train Accidents

People who visit Florida from eminently walkable cities like New York and Washington, D.C. often comment on how little public transportation there is in the Sunshine State’s major urban areas.  A map of the bus routes in South Florida reveals huge, densely populated areas with no public transportation at all.  Many Palm Beach County residents are not even aware that South Florida has commuter trains, even though these train routes have been running for decades.  Thus, trains are neither the most convenient nor the riskiest way to travel in Palm Beach County.  According to a report published by the Miami Herald, train accidents are quite common in Florida.  If you have been injured in an accident involving a train, contact a Florida train accident lawyer.

Highlights of the Report

The Miami Herald report on train accidents is based on data from Florida and other states.  Here are some details of the report.

• Florida ranks sixth among the 50 states for the number of train accidents; it had 462 train accidents between 2014 and 2018. In general, the number of train accidents is proportional to the state’s population and population density.  Texas had the greatest number of train accidents, followed by California.  The states with the least number of crashes, namely Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and Utah, are all sparsely populated.
• 16 percent of the train accidents in Florida resulted in fatalities, while 25 percent led to injuries.
• Jacksonville is the Florida train station with the greatest number of injuries.
• A disproportionately large number of accidents happen in poor neighborhoods of large cities, where train tracks run through residential areas.

Legal Issues

Some train accidents lead to personal injury lawsuits. Who is named as a defendant depends on the details of the accident.  In most cases, the company that owns the train is the defendant.  In some cases, though, train accident lawsuits can be premises liability lawsuits, where the owner of the land where the accident took place can be a defendant.  Some of the accidents where a train struck a pedestrian involved pedestrians who were trespassing; in general, pedestrians are not allowed near train tracks, except at designated platforms in train stations.  Premises liability laws do specify, however, that the owners of places of business or other sites have a duty not to harm anyone who goes to those sites, and in some cases, that includes trespassers who were involved in accidents on the property where they were not supposed to be.

Contact Smith, Ball, Báez & Prather Injury LawyersAbout Personal Injury Cases

If you have suffered serious injuries in an accident, you may be entitled to compensation; a personal injury lawsuit can help you recover the money you need.  Not all personal injury lawsuits involve car accidents or slip and fall injuries; an accident involving any kind of vehicle, or no vehicle at all, might be grounds for a personal injury lawsuit.  Contact Palm Beach Gardens personal injury lawyers at Smith, Ball, Báez & Prather Injury Lawyers for a consultation.