A day after two bullet trains ran into each in northern China, firefighters found an unconscious toddler in the wreckage and rushed the child to a hospital. They were able to save the little boy, but the accident raised much controversy and concern about China’s high-speed rail system.
The accident occurred on July 24, 2011, after a train from Hangzhour was struck by lightning and came to a stop. The Hangzhour train was then rear-ended by a Beijing train, and the collision caused 43 deaths and more than 200 injuries in Wenzhou, according to an Associated Press report published in the Daily Press.
Many Chinese citizens are angry over the incident and asking questions about how safe their rail system is. Clean up of the derailed and smashed rail cars, as well as repair of the train tracks, began almost immediately, which has caused some citizens and victims’ family members to suspect a cover-up and demand a more thorough investigation. So far, the authorities have not been able to explain whether the Hangzhour train engineers had known of their vulnerability to the lightning and why the oncoming Beijing train was not able to stop in time.
As a personal injury lawyer, I handle many rail injury cases. I hope the investigation of China’s high-speed rail system is able to prevent such a disaster from taking place again. My condolences go out to any who lost friends or family members in the collision.
SL
About the Editors: The Shapiro, Cooper, 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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