After the Los Angeles Metrolink Train Accident: How Metrolink’s Stubbornness Could End up Costing It
We have been tracking closely the events of the Los Angeles Metrolink accident, as noted in the blog entries below. If you have been injured, or have a loved one who has perished in the Metrolink train crash, our lawyers are standing by to provide you with a free consultation. For more information about us, visit our website at www.trlglaw.com, call us at (800) 644-8000, or email us.
The Reeves Law Group is a large and well-known law firm of personal injury lawyers. We have won top results for thousands of accident victims in injury and death cases, while earning a reputation for professionalism and competence.
By now, it’s clear to the government, rail experts and Metrolink train accident lawyers, that Metrolink is liable in the train accident near Chatsworth on September 12 that claimed 25 lives. This fact was confirmed in the early hours after the train crash, when Metrolink spokesperson Denise Tyrell accepted that the accident had occurred due to the fault of the Metrolink engineer. Tyrell was forced to resign after making this admission of liability.
Now, as Metrolink looks at the increasing figures of personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits that Metrolink train accident attorneys will help families of victims file against them, it might be prudent to look at what Metrolink did to invite all this on themselves in the first place.
So far, all routes of investigations into the tragedy lead us back to one fact – Metrolink’s stubborn refusal to part with its money to improve rail safety. First, we learned that the company has resisted the implementation of positive train control (PTC) technology because it was thought to be exorbitantly expensive. Metrolink has tried to balance this argument with another reason that claims that the system hasn’t been well researched. We all know that that is hogwash, and the real reason that PTC technology is not on all rail tracks is because the powers-that-be at the company balked at the costs.
Then, there is the issue of operator fatigue, a very real factor in this particular Metrolink train accident. Robert Sanchez, the engineer at the controls had been at the end of five grueling back-to-back split shifts that probably left him with a total of 4 hours sleep every night. This problem could have been circumvented if the company had hired more staff to handle the morning and evening shifts to prevent workers being forced into such hectic schedules. But yet again, Metrolink shied away from investing in the safety of its employees.
One of the company’s staffing contractors reportedly lobbied the state’s lawmakers to get employee meal breaks delayed by a couple of hours, so they could – you guessed it –save operating costs gain.
How ironic is it that a company that went to great lengths to save money is now looking at the possibility of hundreds of millions of dollars in payouts to victims and their families?
If you have been injured or a loved-one has been killed in the Los Angeles Metrolink accident, contact The Reeves Law Group. The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of train accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us
