Train Injuries and Train Fatalities

An Overview of Train Injuries
and Train Fatalities

Train injuries and fatalities in the US have increased 15% since 1998, according to rail safety officials. While train injuries in car-train collisions at railroad crossings have clearly increased, derailments causing serious railroad injuries in Amtrak train collisions have soared a shocking 32%.

There are 218,000 miles of track in the US. Despite improvements in track signals, train controls and railroad communication technology, the incidence of fatal train collisions has dramatically increased in recent years. According to Federal Railroad Administration statistics the number of train derailments in 2001 was the highest since 1985. In 14 major categories, including on-board fires, rear-end collisions, collisions caused by faulty equipment, and crashes involving trucks or cars, 2001 was the worst year for train collisions and injuries in over a decade.

There are more than 250,000 highway-rail crossings in the United States, and collisions at crossings account for of 96% on train-caused injuries. Three major factors contribute to these injuries:

• Crossings whose warning mechanisms do not adequately warn of the danger posed by the intersection
• Bells, crossing gates, lights and other signaling devices that fail to operate, and fail to warn drivers and pedestrians of approaching trains
• Visibility compromised by overgrown brush or trees preventing drivers from seeing approaching trains

Injuries in train collisions can range from minor contusions and lacerations to broken bones, catastrophic trauma, and death. A recent collision in Orange County, just south of Los Angeles, in which a standing Metrolink commuter train was hit at 30 miles per hour by a freight train, resulted in serious chest and stomach injuries for many passengers when the impact thrust them against tables placed between the rows of seats. In that collision, two people died and over 200 more were injured.

Serious train collisions are caused by a variety of mechanical and/or human failures. A spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration in Washington, and others, have suggested that many mechanical failures are actually a result of deferred and inadequate maintenance. In an effort to squeeze out greater profits, railroad companies have reduced or postponed maintenance to their rolling stock, their tracks, and their signaling equipment at highway-rail crossings. The number of rail maintenance workers is now half what it was 20 years ago.

These three kinds of human factors contribute to train collisions and derailments:

• Sudden, unpredictable health problems of a crew member, like a heart attack
• Substance abuse
• Errors caused by fatigue
  
  
  While catastrophic health problems are largely unavoidable, and post-accident drug testing has dramatically reduced the incidence of substance abuse, fatigue remains a key factor in a large number of train collisions.
  
  Many train workers agree that the grueling schedules and consequent sleep deprivation were the most serious safety issue on the nation's freight trains. Because of past concerns about fatigue-related crashes, Federal Railroad Administration law now limits train-operator work shifts to 12 hours. This work rule means that workers are frequently being marooned in a company motel far from home. Workers attest that time off in that situation is not equivalent to restful time off.