Chicago Personal Injury Law Blog

A St. Louis to Chicago Amtrak train derailed this evening near Joliet. Early reports indicate that there were no severe injuries.

Passenger trains such as Amtrak trains are referred to as common carriers in the law. This means that they have the duty to exercise the highest degree of care for the safety of their passengers. Even slight negligence on the part of the railroad is enough to subject them to liability for a train accident or train derailment.

Whether the accident was caused by poor maintenance of the track, improper maintenance of the railroad cars, or unsafe train operation, Amtrak and possibly some other railroads will end up bearing financial responsibility for the Joliet train derailment accident. Anyone injured as a result of the derailment would be well-advised to seek experienced legal counsel to represent their interests for this train accident.

Labels: train accidents, train derailments