Norfolk Southern Crossing Crash in Montgomery County, VA Kills Child, Injures Three Others

Railroad crossings have been in the news over the last few months for all of the wrong reasons. In three major accidents trains have been derailed and injuries and deaths have occurred when trains hit cars or trucks on the tracks.

I was saddened to read about another crossing accident – this time in Virginia. The media reported on how a 3-year-old child who was injured in a Montgomery County train wreck on Wednesday, subsequently died at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

ABC 13 reported on how a Norfolk Southern train hit a vehicle close to the 2300 block of Reese Mountain Road Wednesday near Elliston at about 6 p.m. Three children who were in the car were taken to Roanoke Memorial by helicopter. Their father was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.

Police released no further details on the child who died in the crossing accident. The other two children remain in a serious condition. The father’s condition was also not available.

My deepest condolences go out to this family after this tragedy. Few details have been released about how it occurred but Reece Mountain Road, where the accident happened, is a non-state maintained road and the crossing is marked with a sign but with no lights or gates.

As a railroad injury attorney who has represented families of those killed and injured on crossings, I’m well aware of the poor state of many grade crossings. If you lose a loved one or are injured on a poorly maintained crossing, you may have grounds to bring a lawsuit against a railroad. There are a number of circumstances in which a railroad can be liable for injuries and deaths on crossings in Virginia, including:

• Malfunctioning equipment such as gates and lights;
• High trees or other growth that is blocking a proper view of oncoming trains;
• Bad track maintenance;
• The failure of a train conductor to blow a horn or otherwise warn of an approaching train

If it can be proven that the railroad company failed to do everything possible to avoid a railroad accident, you are entitled seek compensation for all of the financial, physical, and emotional losses you suffered as a result of your injury.

Crashes on grade crossings have occurred this year in New York, California and in North Carolina where more than 60 people were injured in an Amtrak wreck.

An experienced railroad crossing injury lawyer can advise you of your rights. Call Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers for a free consultation at 757.455.0077 or talk to a live operator on this site.