Train Accidents

Clifford Law Offices has been retained to represent a number of victims of the derailment of Amtrak Cascades passenger train 501 near Tacoma, Washington, Monday (Dec. 18, 2017). The tragic derailment claimed at least three lives. Many of the estimated 77 passengers were injured and taken to numerous hospitals in the area. There were also victims injured on the highway, where a number of the derailed train cars immediately plummeted as the train derailed. The…

The tragic Amtrak Train 501 derailment outside Tacoma, Washington, that has left at least three people dead and injured dozens more on its maiden passenger voyage has left many questions as National Transportation Safety Investigators (NTSB) start sorting through the wreckage. The cause of the train derailment of 12 cars and two locomotives won’t be known until months, perhaps even years, of investigation. Even NTSB board member Bella Dinh-Zarr told the press late in the…

The fatal derailment of an Amtrak train occurred on a rebuilt $181 million track corridor that was supposed to make the trip more reliable between Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. Amtrak Cascades 501, with at least 83 people aboard, was the first regular service to use the “bypass” track that goes directly from Tacoma to DuPont, instead of a slow but scenic path along Puget Sound at Tacoma Narrows. Many reports state that the train…

An Amtrak train reportedly derailed this morning (Monday, Dec. 18, 2017) in Washington as it headed from Tacoma to Olympia, sending more than 75 people to local hospitals. The number of people killed has not yet been released. This was the first day for the Amtrak Cascades high-speed train on its new Route W trains that run further inland parallel to Interstate 5 through Tacoma, Lakewood and Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Witnesses reported the train was…

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators are on the scene to determine if the cause of an Amtrak train derailment in rural southwestern Kansas was caused by a previous crash that may have bent the tracks. It was reported that 32 people were taken to hospitals 120 miles west of Wichita. Some 131 passengers and 14 crew members were aboard when the two locomotives and nine cars derailed. Five train cars were reported to be…

Train tank cars that haul fuel need retrofitting as soon as possible to avoid possible explosions, according to a recent study conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that examines such accidents. A recent story published by the Associated Press (“Safety board: Train fuel tank cars need retrofits – and fast,” by Matthew Brown) explained how the public is not going to be able to wait the 10 years for improvements as the industry…

This week’s Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia is a tragedy, as is the decades-long failure of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Amtrak to provide safe, positively controlled rail transportation to patrons across the county, particularly in the Northeast region. As the NTSB and its parties continue to sort through the rubble and uncover what caused this horrific event Tuesday evening, one thing that appears reasonably clear is that the passengers aboard this speeding train, those…

Transportation attorney Kevin Durkin on the legal ramifications of the Amtrak derailment and train crash liability.

News continues round the clock on the tragic train derailment in Philadelphia last night (May 12, 2015) as rescuers continue a search-and-rescue mission into the night for people still reported missing on the manifest. Reporters from around the world are reporting on the fact that the 32-year-old Amtrak engineer of Amtrak Train Number 188 was being interviewed by National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators who have been working at the scene all day, the video…