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

Virginia Research Librarian Struck by Bus Wins $8 Million in Damages

David Mittleman — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Richmond, Virginia: a research librarian at the Library of Virginia who was struck by a GRTC Transit System bus in 2007 recently won $8 million in damages. Meikiu Lo, age 34, suffered spinal and shoulder damage, multiple hip and pelvis fractures, and has suffered chronic pain since her accident in which a GRTC bus struck her as she crossed the street beside the library. Lo had waited on the sidewalk until the street was clear prior to crossing and was also approximately 2/3 of the way across, when the bus struck her while making a right turn.

The jury deliberated for one hour prior to reaching their decision to award Lo the entire amount in damages that her attorneys requested on her behalf. The medical evidence presented in the case showed that Lo will likely undergo multiple surgeries for hip replacement before she reaches 50 years old.

The bus company offered to settle the case for $1.8 million, and also fired the bus driver at fault. However, this isn’t the only bus accident that the company will have to deal with; in fact, on September 30, 2009, Loucendia Reed Lambert, age 55, was struck by a GRTC bus while crossing the street to her job at the Department of Health. She subsequently died as a result of her injuries. The bus driver involved in the incident is scheduled for a hearing next week in Richmond General District Court on charges of reckless driving.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Detroit Bus Crash Injures Six Students

Devon Glass — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:15:01 GMT

An accident involving two Detroit school buses resulted in injuries to six students on Monday. The collision occurred in metro Detroit, at the intersection of Plymouth Road and West Outer Drive.

The first bus was stopped at a red light when a second bus approached from behind. According to reports, the driver of the second bus looked away from the road in order to ask students not to stand while the bus was in motion. When the driver looked back at the street ahead, the crash occurred.

Fortunately, none of the injuries are thought to be life-threatening.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Devon Glass

Restaurant Manager's Widow and Children Win $15 Million Settlement After Tragic Plane Crash

David Mittleman — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:17:21 GMT

Michael Waugh was the general manager of Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab Restaurant in Chicago. Sadly, he died in a plane crash on January 30, 2006 while traveling in a Cessna 421B, piloted by a Morgan Stanley financial advisor, Mark Turek. Turek and two other passengers also died in the crash.

According to the wrongful-death lawsuit, Michael Waugh was allegedly flying in the private aircraft because Turek and another Morgan Stanley employee had arranged a financial consult with Mr. Waugh and his father, Jack Waugh. Turek flew the plane from Olathe, Kansas and was cleared to land at the Chicago-area airport. However, he drove the airplane too slowly while attempting to land and caused the engine to stall. The airplane then crashed nose-first into the ground and exploded upon impact.

Waugh’s widow and three children, ages 14, 12, and 8, will receive compensation for his death after a Cook County judge approved a $15 million settlement for the wrongful death lawsuit against Turek’s estate. Specifically, the family’s lawsuit alleged that Morgan Stanley allowed a non-professional pilot to fly company planes on business trips, which they argued ultimately caused Waugh’s death.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Weekend Monorail Crash at Walt Disney World Leaves Young Man Dead

David Mittleman — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:19:00 GMT

21-year-old Austin Wuennenberg, a monorail train operator at Walt Disney World, was killed after two monorail trains collided early Sunday morning in the Magic Kingdom section of the park. Five park guests were injured and treated at the scene and the other train operator was uninjured, but taken to the hospital for emotional trauma. Disney reported that this was the first fatal crash in the monorail’s 38-year history in the park.

Wuennenberg died at the scene of the crash at approximately 2 a.m. according to the local fire department’s deputy chief. Disney Vice President of Communications, Michael Griffin, identified the driver as Austin Wuennenberg but refused to comment on how long he had worked for Disney or any circumstances surrounding the crash. Disney officials also refused to comment on how the monorail system operates. Walt Disney World officials have already announced plans that they will reopen the monorail later today.

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration launched an investigation beginning today. The agency will look into whether any workplace safety rules were violated that led to the monorail crash and subsequent death. However, the investigation could take up to six months to complete.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Metro Trains Collide Outside of Washington, D.C. During Rush Hour Traffic

David Mittleman — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:09:35 GMT

Two metro trains collided just outside of Washington, D.C. yesterday during rush hour traffic. The accident is being called “the worst in the city’s history” with nine people confirmed dead and another 75 wounded.

In the accident, a train operating on the heavily used Red Line rear-ended another stopped train at a considerably high speed at about 5 p.m. The rear train landed atop of the front train, trapping and crushing some passengers inside. Investigators are still treating the accident scene as a rescue operation, using such heavy equipment as cranes to extract other potential survivors from the mangled pile of glass and metal. The driver of the rear train, an operator since 2007, died in the accident.

Officials are searching for clues as to why this accident occurred. Initial signs of the investigation point to technical failures and possible driver error. However, the train that caused the accident was also part of an older fleet. In fact, The National Transportation Board had warned the Metrorail Transit System to phase the old fleet out back in 2006 due to major safety concerns.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Fun at the Zoo Ends for Indiana Family After Train Accident

David Mittleman — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 13:28:39 GMT

An Indiana family was expecting a fun day at The Louisville Zoo in Kentucky with their 2-year-old son, when things went terribly awry. While riding the zoo’s train, the family was thrown off of the ride and onto the ground when the driver took a sharp turn too quickly. The toddler was allegedly bleeding from his head, while another male family member that was with the family at the zoo, was pinned under a section of the train, which broke his leg in several places with bones protruding through his skin.

The train driver was reportedly 18, the minimum age required by state law for operating rides such as the train. The family described her as flustered and distracted and she allegedly came by to pick up their tickets twice, forgetting she had already asked them once before. The train engine and cars ultimately flipped over on their sides behind the zoo’s popular Gorilla Forest Exhibit with 30 passengers aboard.

The family has filed suit seeking monetary damages for physical and emotional pain, as well as a temporary court injunction to prevent the zoo from altering or destroying the train and any other photographs, videotapes, or reports or statements made after the incident. Twenty-two other adults and children were taken to the hospital as a result of the accident, but have all been released.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Engineer Responsible for California Train Crash that Killed 25 had History of Cell Phone Use While Working

David Mittleman — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:20:00 GMT

Although bans on cell phone use and driving have only recently come to the forefront of legislation, Metrolink has prohibited its train engineers from using cell phones for a lot longer. Now, a source claims Robert Sanchez, the engineer operating the train that blew through a red signal and into a Union Pacific freight train last September, regularly used his phone while on the job. An investigation into the crash revealed Sanchez sent and received dozens of text messages while working the day of the crash, including sending a text message 22 seconds before the collision. The source, an anonymous co-worker who worked directly with Sanchez, claims he contacted his superiors at Connex Railroad LLC about Sanchez’s excessive cell phone use just a few weeks prior to the accident and that he complained to another co-worker the day of the crash. Furthermore, the source claims that Connex had found Sanchez to be in violation of both Connex and Metrolink rules of prohibiting engineers to use cell phones while on duty and that Connex failed to take any disciplinary measures.

Lawyers on behalf of 23 plaintiffs who were injured or killed in the crash amended their lawsuit on Monday to include the newfound negligence allegations against Connex, Sanchez’s employer. According to the L.A. Times, damage claims for this accident are well on their way to exceeding the $200 million cap imposed by Congress in an attempt to limit a railroad’s liability in a single accident. Although the dangers of texting while driving are well-known, people just don’t seem to get it. Not only is it illegal in some jurisdictions, but the harm you place yourself and those around you is substantial.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

High-Profile Mass Transit Accidents Cause for Worry?

David Mittleman — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 10:44:00 GMT

Mass transportation is convenient, environmentally friendly, and increasingly popular given the price of gasoline. As we gear up for a holiday season full of travel, it is likely that some form of mass transit looms in your future. While mass transportation is, for the most part, safe and efficient, the large number of people involved means accidents can be especially catastrophic. The recent crash involving a bus and semitrailer near Ann Arbor, Michigan is just the latest example of high-profile accidents involving common carriers.

Over the past year and a half, several mass transit-related accidents have cost dozens of lives and caused countless injuries. In March of last year, six college baseball players were killed when the bus carrying their team tumbled off an overpass and fell to the highway surface below. In that case, the design and layout of the highway off ramp was blamed for the tragic accident.

More recently, a bus crash in Sacramento left eight passengers dead. The bus was en route to a casino when it left the road and rolled over once before coming to rest. The driver was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, and an initial investigation shows that he did not have the proper license or certification to be driving a bus. The bus itself was apparently not properly registered.

Another allegedly drunk bus driver was involved in an incident in Tennessee. A school bus carrying thirty children was found stopped in the middle of a road with the driver passed out at the wheel. Fortunately, no one was injured.

Busses are not the only type of mass transit to be involved in disastrous accidents. Two recent Los Angeles-area train crashes have prompted some concern about that method of travel as well. Fifteen people were injured when a light rail train crashed into a bus. Fortunately, the bus was being tested by a mechanic and was otherwise empty at the time, or the toll might have been much higher.

The passengers aboard the commuter train that collided head-on with a freight train were not so lucky. At least 25 people were killed in that accident. Authorities believe the conductor of the freight train had been sending and receiving text messages immediately prior to the crash. Federal regulators issued an emergency ban on cell phone use by on-duty train workers as a result of the preliminary investigation.

On the whole, mass transit is safe, cheap, and "green." These major accidents are the exceptions to that rule. However, because dozens and even hundreds of commuters may be involved in any one accident, the potential for injury and loss of life can be staggering.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman