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Compensation for train accident deaths and injuries in Oklahoma

On Behalf of | Oct 17, 2014 | Train Accidents

Oklahoma is crisscrossed with railroad tracks over which trains move passengers, livestock, goods and other loads. Overall, train accidents are relatively uncommon. When they do occur, however, they can easily injure and kill people and destroy property.

According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covering the years 2000 to 2009, an average of 876 people are killed by trains each year. Fatal train accidents occur most frequently with mainline railroads. Of those 876 deaths, 490 typically occur away from grade crossings, and the NHTSA study suggests that a great many of these deaths, especially pedestrians, may have been suicides: as many as 85 to 110. The study concludes that an average of 281 motorists, 68 pedestrians and 26 train employees or contractors die every year. On average, only seven mainline train passengers are killed each year.

If you were injured in a train accident you may be entitled to compensation if negligence was a substantial cause of the injury. Injuries often require extensive medical treatment, therapy and rehabilitation so the victim can get back to a more-or-less normal life. Those medical costs can lead to severe financial problems, which is why compensation is so important.

If a train accident caused by negligence results in death, a wrongful death lawsuit may be an option. Death often leaves family members without the victim’s income, which can lead to serious financial hardship. Surviving family members may be able to recover monetary damages if negligence is proven. Damages can be recovered for loss of support, loss of companionship and other losses.

Source: Journalistsresource.org, “U.S. transportation safety over time: cars, planes, trains, walking, cycling,” accessed on Oct. 7, 2014

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