Railroad Industry Calls for Better Safety Regulations

 Posted on November 22, 2013 in Personal Injury

The railroad industry has asked the federal government to step in and help stop train-related accidents this November. They are hoping that better safety standards and regulations will allow them to revamp the existing fleet of 900,000 tank cars and help design new tankers. These tankers can transport ethanol, crude oil and various other combustible liquids. The reason that tankers are the focal point of the need for safer railway transportation is an increase in oil production. In the United States, oil crude production has increased since 2006 in places like Colorado, North Dakota and Texas. All attempts to transport the crude through pipelines have been met with strong resistance, so the only transportation method left is by rail. Trains offer a way to transport the highly flammable liquid crude with over 100 cars. Then each car contains nearly 30,000 gallons of crude, which is similar to the size of a large residential swimming pool. But in any type of accident, the contents of these railway tankers can be deadly. In July, a train with over 70 tanker cars crashed in the Canadian town of Lac-Megantic in Quebec. The result was that more than 42 people died. After that catastrophic event, at least two other trains transporting crude have derailed. Both large and small railroad companies are interested in decreasing the danger of this kind of transport and with new regulations, would be less liable if accidents do occur. The proposed changes would include having cars retrofitted or replaced. The new cars would have a thicker steel shell, metal jackets that would resist puncture and pressure release valves that would all help to control the dangers of transporting crude oil. The president of the Association of American Railroad, Edward R Hamberger stated that "We believe it's time for a thorough review of the US tank car fleet that moves flammable liquids, particularly considering the recent increase in crude oil traffic. Our goal is to ensure that what we move, and how we move it, is done as safely as possible." Trains present a lot of dangers for cars and pedestrians even with these proposed changes. If you have been injured by a train, then you could be eligible for compensation. Contact a skilled personal injury attorney in Bloomingdale to review your case today.