Norfolk Railroad Injury Lawyer Report – Train Derails Killing Two Teens in Maryland

When trains derail the consequences can be catastrophic. Railroad workers are often the victims but bystanders can also be injured or killed.

Two people who were near a track were killed when a CSX train derailed in Maryland, WTKR.com reported. They were reported to be 19-year-old female college students.

The coal train derailed in Ellicott City near Baltimore, according to reports. Several cars fell of a bridge, killing two bystanders.

According to reports 21 of the train’s 80 cars flipped over around midnight on August 20, 2012. Howard County officials said some vehicles in a nearby parking lot were crushed by the cars.

A USA Today report suggested the two students who died were on a bridge. They were not employees of the railroad. Two train operators who were onboard were not harmed, officials said.

As an experienced Virginia and West Virginia railroad accident injury attorney, my thoughts are with the families of the two people who died. When trains derail someone is nearly always to blame, although it’s unclear if this crash was caused by human error, mechanical failure or poorly maintained tracks. In all of these cases a railroad company can be held liable. Early indications suggested an emergency brake had been applied automatically, indicating a possible maintenance issue.

Every year non railroad workers are injured by trains. Many of these accidents occur on railroad crossings.