Chicago Injury Lawyer Blog

A woman died yesterday when she was struck by an Amtrak train around 5 p.m. According to Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari, a Seattle and Portland bound train hit the woman as she was using the pedestrian crossing at the Lake Forest, IL, station. The train accident claimed the life of 43 year-old Teresa Spradlin of Grayslake, IL. The Lake County Coroner officially pronounced Spradlin dead around 6 p.m. yesterday.

Two unidentified Grayslake men were also injured in the train accident. Those men were taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with reportedly minor injuries. Amtrak officials and the Lake Forest Police report that the train was stopped for about four hours while the accident was being investigated. It has been speculated that the victim was attempting to cross in front of the non-stop Amtrak train when the accident occurred. The train accident is still under investigation.

According to Illinois Operation Lifesaver, a non-profit public education program established to end collisions and deaths at railroad crossings, Illinois ranks fourth among the top 15 states for rail crossing collisions. The non-profit reports that Illinois suffered 151 highway-rail grade crossing collisions in 2007. About half of these collisions occurred while warning signals were flashing or train gates were down.

If you have any questions regarding train accidents in Illinois or would like to speak to a Chicago area injury lawyer, please click here.

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A Rockford, IL, woman was killed last Friday when a freight train derailed setting off a dangerous explosion. According to reports, the tragic train accident occurred at a rural Cherry Valley, IL, train intersection around 9 p.m. on Friday night. The train was heading from Freeport to Chicago when the derailment occurred. According to Canadian National Railway Company officials, the train comprised 18 cars loaded with ethanol. The train derailed as it was approaching the Cherry Valley intersection. Zoila Tellez of Rockford, IL, was killed trying to flee the intersection once the train derailed according to the Winnebago County Coroner. Three passengers were able to survive the flaming accident. A 17 year old girl injured in the accident was listed in critical but stable condition at the burn unit of Chicago’s Stroger Hospital.

Investigators have determined that there was high water along the tracks where the freight train derailed. The role that the rainwater played in the crash remains under investigation according to Robert Sumwaldt of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The NTSB says that it could take up to a year to indentify the cause of the train accident. The agency is presently looking for witnesses that might have observed the train accident for interviews.

Illinois train accidents are very dangerous and complex. If you have any questions regarding a train accident or you would like to speak to an experienced attorney click here.

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A St. Louis woman was killed yesterday when an Amtrak train struck her pickup truck in Hartford, Illinois. The Illinois train accident occurred at the intersection of Seventh and Olive streets around 7:25 a.m. The accident victim has been identified as 31 year-old Heather Sheree Balven of the 7500 block of Hoover Avenue in St. Louis. Balven was employed as a geotechnical engineer with Terracon Consultants Inc., a subcontracting outfit that was hired to help construct an Alaskan oil pipeline to the area. Eyewitness Robert Preston said that he saw the truck approaching the intersection just before the collision. He reports that he did not hear the train sound a horn until it was at the railroad crossing at which point he saw the truck fly ‘about 75 feet in the air.’ The intersection where the train accident occurred is not equipped with crossing signs or lights.

Balven’s truck came to a halt about 75 yards north of the railroad crossing. Balven was killed on impact according to the Madison County Coroner’s Office. Amtrak reports that none of the 64 passengers or crew members aboard the train suffered injuries. The train was bound from St. Louis to Chicago and was travelling between 50 and 60 mph at the time of the collision. The Hartford Police Department is still investigating the tragic train accident.

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A Westmont man was killed yesterday when his car was struck by a westbound freight train leaving Chicago. The motor vehicle accident occurred at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Cass Avenue and the BNSF Railway tracks located between Burlington Avenue and Quincy Street in Westmont. According to the DuPage County Coroner’s Office, 91 year-old Louis Lome was killed when the train collided with his silver sedan on the tracks. Lome’s car was subsequently dragged down the tracks past the Westmont Metra passenger platform. The circumstances surrounding the accident remain under investigation however several witnesses have reported that Lome may have been attempting to circumvent the railway crossing gates when the accident occurred.

Railway director of public relations Steve Forsberg reports that the westbound freight train was empty after having carried coal to Chicago. The train was allegedly traveling between 35 and 40 mph at the time of the fatal collision. Forsberg claims that the gates and warning signals had been tested and were in working order. The accident caused significant problems for inbound Chicago Metra trains resulting in delays of up to an hour and fifteen minutes.

According to Illinois Operation Lifesaver, a non-profit public education program established to end collisions and deaths at railroad crossings, Illinois ranks fourth among the top 15 states for rail crossing collisions. The non-profit reports that Illinois suffered 151 highway-rail grade crossing collisions in 2007. About half of these collisions occurred while warning signals were flashing or train gates were down.

Continue reading "Chicago Freight Train Collision Kills Westmont Man" »

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A Cook County Judge has approved a settlement awarding the families of two deceased Chicago Metra riders $11 million dollars in the wake of a fatal train derailment that occurred on September 17, 2005. The settlement, which was entered on November 12th, was reached just as the two wrongful death lawsuits were scheduled for trial. The suits were brought by the families of Jane Cuthbert, a 38 year-old research technician from New Lenox, and Allison Walsh, a 22 year-old student from Oak Forest. Cuthbert and Walsh are just two of the more than 100 victims of the train derailment. By the terms of the settlement, Walsh’s family will receive $5 million dollars while Cuthbert’s will receive $6 million. Walsh and Cuthbert were the only two deaths resulting from the 2005 train derailment.

An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has revealed that the primary cause of the accident was operator failure. More specifically, the investigation determined that the train operator failed to conduct the train in accordance with signal and speed restrictions. The derailment occurred on Metra’s Rock Island train route between Joliet and Chicago at the 48th Street crossover. At the time of the accident, the train was traveling 60 mph over the 10 mph maximum speed posted at the crossover. The NTSB also cited Metra’s failure to install a satellite-based safety system designed to override human error as a cause of the accident.

The settlement represents only the tip of the iceberg for Metra as approximately 35 Chicago personal injury lawsuits related to the derailment remain pending. Since the 2005 derailment tragedy, Metra has instituted a more comprehensive training program and upgraded operation technologies. The improvements, however, do not include a satellite emergency override system to combat operator error. The commuter line is presently awaiting federal approval for an emergency system to be installed next August.

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Trains are a common mode of transportation in Illinois, with many commuters opting to ride a train or subway to work or some other destination. Although the Chicago Transit Authority, the Metra subway system, and the different railroad companies are required to keep the trains and subways running safely on their tracks, train accidents in the Chicago area do happen. Train and subway passengers, pedestrians, motor vehicle drivers, railroad workers, train and subway operators, and railroad and subway employees are frequently the ones who are injured or killed.

If you have been injured in a train crash, you should speak with a personal injury lawyer who can evaluate your case right away. At Joseph Klest, Attorney at Law, we offer a FREE consultation to all train injury victims and family members that have lost loved ones in train accidents. Attorney Klest will be happy to offer you advice on the immediate steps that you can take to protect your rights so you can obtain the maximum compensation from any negligent parties.

The sooner you hire an experienced and knowledgeable Chicago personal injury lawyer to start gathering the evidence and building your case, the greater your chances are of being able to obtain the best outcome possible in your train accident claim or lawsuit. Proving that a railroad company or a transportation system/authority is liable for your train accident injuries can be very difficult, which is why you need a personal injury lawyer that understands the rules and regulations that govern trains and subways in Illinois.

Mr. Klest has successfully handled many train accident cases throughout Illinois for more than 25 years. He can get a court order to preserve any evidence, such as defective railroad equipment and faulty crossings, from your accident. He knows how to investigate the accident evidence, and he will work with a team of highly qualified experts that can examine the evidence and your injuries.

Causes and Injuries
Common causes of train and subway accidents include mechanical failure, faulty crossing signs, operator negligence or fatigue, defective tracks, hazardous spills, and collisions with a motor vehicle, pedestrian, or another train or subway.

Train accident injuries are frequently catastrophic, if not fatal, and the medical and recovery costs can be astronomical. Attorney Klest has the resources to determine how much you will need to recover and move forward with your life. He will file a claim or lawsuit that takes into account your current and long-term financial and recovery needs.

Mr. Klest will customize his services and approach to your injury case to fit your needs and goals. He is accessible and available to all his clients. He is a nationally renowned and well-respected personal injury and trial attorney. He has a reputation in the Chicago area for his ability to obtain successful outcomes in cases that have been declared "hopeless" or were turned down by other personal injury attorneys.

For over 25, years, Attorney Klest has represented thousands of satisfied clients in Will County, Cook County, Lake County, DuPage County and the rest of Illinois in all areas of personal injury law. Joseph Klest, Attorney at Law has offices in Chicago and Schaumburg, Illinois, and we are happy to meet you at another location or in another city if that is more convenient.

To request your FREE consultation with Joseph Klest, Attorney at Law, contact us online today or call (630) 529-7848, (312) 527-2779, or (847) 969-9510.

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