On the night of Wednesday, March 6, Zachary Brady, age 20, was walking home from work along the side of train tracks when he was fatally struck by an Amtrak train heading from Kansas City to St. Louis, 150 yards west of the Fourth Street crossing in Pacific, Missouri. Unfortunately, there have been a number of incidents at or near the Fourth Street train crossing in Pacific: in July 2012 a 17-year-old bicyclist was hit by a train and suffered minor injuries, in November 2008 a 15-year-old girl was killed when running across the tracks, and in October 2005 a 44-year-old driver was killed.
Although the number of U.S. train accidents fell to an all-time low in 2012, the number of pedestrians killed by trains reached 442 in 2012, an increase of 7.5 percent from 2011. Trespasser railroad fatalities have become the leading cause of death on the railroad, and many pedestrian deaths seem to be centered on places where illegal crossings are more likely to occur. Pacific Police Chief Matt Mansell says people get used to trains and end up losing respect for them. But railroads are providing fewer workers to help spread the rail safety message to schoolchildren and community groups.
If you or someone you love has been injury or wrongfully killed by a train or on the railroad tracks, you could be entitled to compensation depending on the circumstances. We invite you to contact a Columbia personal injury lawyer at Sumner Law Group, LLC to learn more about your legal rights and options, and how we can help. Contact us today!