For a week after a CSX train collided with a tractor-trailer at a railroad crossing in Suffolk, Virginia (VA), and killed the truck driver, details about where and how the deadly crash occurred were hard to find. Finally, on Oct. 10, 2012, local television station WAVY-TV 10 sent a reporter to the scene of the accident on Portsmouth Boulevard. What she learned is described in this news video:
RR crossing concern after driver killed
In sum, the privately owned crossing that intersects with the driveway for truck delivery and pickup lot of an auto parts supplier lacks basic safety devices like gates and warning lights, is overgrown with trees and bushes that make approaching trains impossible to see, and has been the site of other crashes that left truck drivers injured and dead.
The Virginia Train Crash Lawyer's Perspective
Something must be done. My Virginia personal injury and wrongful death attorney colleagues specialize in railroad accidents, and we have written often about the responsibilities rail corporations and owners of private railroad crossing have to alert drivers of oncoming trains and to restrict access to tracks when crossing is unsafe. We recognize that installing and maintaining automatically lowering gates, upgrading signs ranging from crossbucks to stop signs, and clearing sightlines along railroad tracks can be expensive. We also know that investing in basic safety measures costs far less than the value of a train crash victim's health and life.
Suffolk already sees heavy daily traffic from CSX and Norfolk Southern trains. Rail usage in the city will soon increase when Amtrak begins running two passenger trains each day from Norfolk to Richmond. Unless every crossing along the route get the safety upgrades and maintenance they require, it seems likely that we will be hearing about additional injuries and deaths from collisions between cars, trucks and trains.
Potentially Helpful Info
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About the Editors: The Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm, which has offices in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC), edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as pro bono services.
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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