When there is a car accident, the possibility of injuries is significant. When a car collides with a larger object such as a tractor-trailer, the chances of catastrophic injuries are dramatically increased. However, when a car and a train collide, the outcome of the auto accident is often tragic. A woman’s recent encounter with a train fortunately did not have the more predictable outcome.
Our readers in Albany will be interested in this curious incident. A 29-year-old woman crashed into an Amtrak train recently in rural New York. According to authorities, she allegedly went through or around the traffic gates and hit the second engine of the train. There were 182 passengers aboard the train, but no injuries were reported.
The woman was taken to a local hospital for evaluation. Authorities state that the woman said she did not notice the flashing lights, lowered gates and alarms that warn of an approaching train, but it’s hard to conceive how she could miss them. She was cited for driving through or around a traffic gate.
Fortunately for everyone involved, there were no serious injuries. However, the incident could have ended with a much more negative result, for both the passengers on the train and the woman. If there were injured passengers on the train or if the woman had a passenger in her car, those people could have held her liable. But it might be beneficial to determine if the railroad crossing gates actually were functioning at the time. If they weren’t, she could hold the local government accountable for her accident.
Source: CNYCentral.com, “Woman crashes car into Amtrak train in Verona,” Ken Chapman, Jan. 31, 2013