According to the Los Angeles Times, a Metrolink train accident has killed a girl in Riverside, California. The Metrolink Train hit the pedestrian on Tuesday. The girl who was hit by the train in Riverside, who was a minor, passed away as a result of the impact.
According to the Riverside Police Department, who interviewed witnesses, the girl allegedly waited for a freight train to pass. After the train passed, the girl, who probably believed it was safe, walked around barricades and was hit by a Metrolink train. According to witnesses, the girl also ignored warning lights and bells of the Metrolink train. Unfortunately, this could have been due to the noise from the freight train.
If it is proved that Metrolink was negligent, the girl’s family may have a Riverside wrongful death claim. Investigators will have to determine if the warnings were sufficient and whether a different type of warning, possibly one that indicates that two trains would be passing, should have been used to prevent this tragic death.
We have seen in the past how people wait for a train to pass and immediately cross tracks after the train, not realizing that a second train could be approaching from a different direction, blocked off from site by the first train. For this reason, it is always important to follow all railroad track warnings and never to cross the tracks until it is completely safe to do so. As can be seen, attempting to save a few seconds by crossing a railroad barricade before it goes up can lead to tragic train accident injuries and/or death.
Our personal injury law office handles Los Angeles and California train accident cases involving pedestrians, cars or train crashes. If you or a loved one are involved in a train accident in Calfornia, call our office now.