Train Injuries and Train Fatalities

Frequently asked questions about
train injuries and train fatalities

What is the most frequent kind of train-related injury and fatality?
About 96% of injuries and deaths by train each year occur at highway-rail crossings.

How preventable are highway-rail crossing collisions?
In many rail-crossing injuries, the driver was insufficiently warned of the danger, or simply unable to see an oncoming train. Inadequate maintenance of warning signals (bells, gates, lights, etc) at crossings and failure to trim overgrown brush and trees are frequent causes of car-train collisions.

Can a prompt investigation make a difference in a highway-rail crossing case?
For this kind of case, investigation soon after the accident can be critical in making the case for the injured victim. Malfunctions of equipment and barriers to visibility must be documented before conditions are changed, and witnesses must be interviewed while events are still fresh in their mind.

Does the Federal Railroad Administration get involved in highway-railroad collisions?
The Federal Railroad Administration FRA is not adequately funded to investigate highway-railroad collisions. In recent years it has investigated only a small fraction of the most serious railroad crossing collisions.

How frequent are train derailments?
Close to 2000 train derailments occur in the US every year. Most occur in railroad switching yards, where the track is often inadequately maintained. Track used by passenger trains is more frequently inspected and better maintained, but derailments still occur.

Will putting a penny on the track derail a train?
No; a penny is too small to derail a locomotive. The penny will be flattened. The risk of harm to the person placing the penny is considerable; there are safer ways to flatten pennies.

Can defective track be detected?
Railroads have always faced the problem of identifying track defects to prevent derailments. Current methods are uneven. The Department of Structural Engineering at the University of California San Diego has developed a new ultrasonic detection technology, using laser beam ultrasonic pulses traveling on the steel rails. The system has already been successfully tested, and could be in use soon.