Category Archives: National Traffic Safety Board

Questions Remain Following Blue Line Crash At O’Hare

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Very early Monday morning, a Blue
Line train carrying passengers pulled into the station at O’Hare airport, but
instead of stopping, it derailed and crashed into a commuter escalator. As a
result of the train crash, thirty (30) passengers were injured. The Associated
Press reported today the train was not speeding as it drove into the
station. National Transportation Safety Board (“NTSB”) investigator Ted Turpin said a preliminary review of
Monday’s derailment at O’Hare International Airport showed that the train was
traveling at 25 mph — the correct speed — as it entered the
station. Turpin, who is in charge of the investigation, said an automatic
emergency braking system was activated on the tracks, but that it failed it
stop the train as it headed for the platform. “It activated,”
Turpin said. “That’s all we know factually. Now, whether it did it in time
or not, that’s an analysis that we have to figure out.”

Another issue that
has raised eyebrows is the possibility that the conductor of the train was
drowsy at the time of the train accident. Several news outlets have reported
that the conductor may have dozed off at the train crash, which would mean he
or she did not brake on time. That is why there is an emergency brake, but
according to the above reports, did not work properly.

If the injuries
sustained by any of the passengers were severe enough, then there will
definitely be lawsuits filed against the Chicago Transit Authority
(“CTA”). The basis of a Complaint at Law will be based on multiple
allegations. First, the driver negligently operated the train by not braking
on time. Second, the CTA was negligent for possibly allowing one of its’
employees to work too many hours or days in a row, thus leading her to doze
off. Third, the CTA did not have a properly working emergency brake, as it
clearly did not prevent the train from stopping or derailing. It could be
alleged that the emergency braking system was not properly installed. This
could in turn lead to lawsuits against the manufacturer or the subcontractor
who installed and/or maintained the emergency braking system. The answers to
these questions will not be known until the NTSB and other experts complete
their full reports on the accident. Regardless, there a liable parties out
there that could have prevented this train accident. 

If you or someone
you love has been injured in a Chicago train accident, Chicago CTA crash or
Chicago bus accident, the call Chicago personal injury attorney Aaron Bryant
for a free legal consultation at 312-588-3384. 

NTSB Issues Statement On Chicago Blue Line Crash

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The Chicago
Tribune reported over the weekend that the National Traffic Safety
Board (“NTSB”) issued a report on the rogue “ghost train” that slammed
into another train at the Harlem stop. According to the NTSB, the ghost train
that did not have a conductor or any passengers had
been left with the power still on in a storage yard by CTA workers.
 Apparently, the unoccupied CTA trains are “routinely left powered-up
while stored and with the brake setting that would allow movement.’’

The
runaway four-car train was parked in the yard, at the western terminus of the
Forest Park branch, with power to the propulsion system, lights and other
equipment activated for possibly days before the incident, said a source close
to the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity.


The new developments surfaced as the NTSB issued
two “urgent safety recommendations’’ Friday addressing “the need for redundant
protection to prevent unintended train movements on the CTA system.’’

CTA
officials have yet to make any comments regarding this report from the NTSB. I
think everyone from the injured passengers to the CTA should be grateful that
there were not any life threatening injuries as a result of the accident. No
other details have been released about the type of injuries involved in this
train accident. I think the CTA should expect lawsuits on this matter and will
need to re-evaluate its practices for their parked trains.

If you
or someone you love has been injured in a Chicago CTA accident or Chicago trainaccident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney Aaron Bryant for a freelegal consultation at 312-588-3384. 

NTSB Recommends States Lower Blood Alcohol Level That Constitutes Drunk Driving

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About fifteen years ago,
the National Traffic Safety Board (“NTSB”) made a huge push in this
country to lower to the blood alcohol content that constitutes drunk driving to
.08. Through the federal government they were able to put pressure on
individual states by withholding federal funding for road construction unless
states complied by enacting the new law. This tactic worked and was basically
applauded by lawmakers and interest groups as it appeared to make the roads
safer against drunk drivers. 

Flash forward to 2013
and the NTSB is now convinced that states should again lower the legal limit
for driving to .05, this according to a report from NBC Online News. According
to the NTSB 10,000
people die in alcohol-related traffic accidents and 170,000 are injured,
according to the NTSB. While that’s a big improvement from the 20,000 who died
in alcohol-related accidents 30 years ago, it remains a consistent threat to
public safety. 

Further,
the NTSB points out most countries in Europe, Asia and Australia have all
lowered the legal BAC limit to .05.  When Australia dropped its BAC level
from .08 to .05, provinces reported a 5-18 percent drop in traffic
fatalities. The NTSB reports that at .05 BAC, some drivers begin having
difficulties with depth perception and other visual functions.  At .07,
cognitive abilities become impaired. 

At .05 BAC, the risk of having an accident increases by 39
percent. At .08 BAC, the risk of having an accident increases by more than 100
percent.

The NTSB believes that if all 50 states changed their standard to
.05, nearly 1,000 lives could be saved each year.  It is also considering
other steps to help bring down the death rates on America’s roads.

The numbers are hard to argue with here.  If drivers fear
being arrested after just a few beers, then there will probably be less drunk
drivers on the road. And, ultimately, this will lead to less car accidents and
traffic fatalities. Regardless, I do not believe this law change is going to
happen overnight. The restaurant, beer and spirit lobby is going push back hard
against this type of rule change. Their argument will be that a lower BAC level
will punish otherwise responsible drinkers and still will not keep hardcore
drinkers off the road. This is a new development worth following in the months
to come.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a Chicago trafficaccident or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney
Aaron Bryant for a free legal consultation at 312-588-3384.

NTSB Recommends Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device For All Those Convicted For DUI

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The Los Angeles
Times recently reported about a federal program recommended by the
National Transportation Safety Board (“NTSB”), which would require
all drivers convicted of drunken driving to install an ignition interlocking
device before starting their car. An
alcohol-ignition interlock is a device that prevents the engine from starting
until the driver breathes into a device that measures alcohol content to see if
it is lower than prescribed limits. Currently, 17 states require interlocks for
first-time offenders. If you unfortunately drive while under the influence and get charged, then act fast to get help from a criminal record expungement firm or at least contact professional assistance so you can apply for bail bonds.

The NTSB ultimately believes this measure will help prevent traffic collisions and traffic fatalities. “The first step to address the number one killer on
our roadways is to do what is proven to be effective — use interlocks for all
DWI offenders,” said NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman.

According to a criminal law attorney currently in Illinois, the interlocking device is available to those charged with their
first DUI and their license has been suspended. The secretary of state allows
drivers to install the device in their vehicle, which allows the charged
offender to legally drive during their suspension. Check out a Related Site for extra information.

The
question is whether requiring these devices is overly invasive and costly for
all those who have been convicted of a DUI. The alcoholic beverage
industry opposes a blanket requirement for first-time offenders, but it supports
restrictions for people who have registered exceptionally high blood-alcohol
levels.

Both the Distilled Spirits Council and the American Beverage
Institute, which represents restaurant chains, support ignition interlocks for
first-time convictions of people who posted a blood-alcohol content of .15 or
higher.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a Chicago caraccident or Chicago truck accident then call Chicago personal injury lawyer
Aaron Bryant for a free legal consultation at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm
website at www.blgchicago.com. 

Train Industry Acknowledges Serious Design Flaw In Specific Rail Car

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Business Week published an interesting article last week
about a specific rail car that transports thousands of gallons of ethanol every
year across the United States. If there is a train crash, the thin exterior of
this type of rail car is almost guaranteed to sever and leak fuel which and
lead to fires and explosions that will pretty much destroy all of the shipped products in the car. That is why it is important for a company to know exactly what they sent out by using a supply chain management just in case of emergencies like this.

The railroad industry
has vowed to manufacture and use a new rail car that has a stronger shell,
which will help prevent leaking in case of an accident. Regardless, the train
industry has pushed back requesting lawmakers not require them to modify the current
design of existing rail cars. The first question that needs to be asked about
this resistance, is why? The short answer is money. There are apparently 30,000 to 45,000 of these types of tankers out there today. The article reports that
the railroad industry has known about this design flaw since 1991, yet have
done nothing about it until 2011. Despite knowing about this design flaw, there
have been 40 serious train accidents since 2000, which has caused 2 deaths and
multiple injuries. 

The National Traffic
Safety Board has asked for the higher standards to be applied to all tankers,
meaning existing cars would have to be retrofitted or phased out.

The industry’s
proposal “ignores the safety risks posed by the current fleet,” the
NTSB said in a report on safety recommendations, adding that those cars
“can almost always be expected to breach in derailments that involve
pileups or multiple car-to-car impacts.”

The federal Pipeline
and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, part of the U.S. Department of
Transportation, is considering both arguments, but the regulatory process is
slow and could take several years, experts said.

If there is another
crash involving these existing faulty rail cars and people are injured (or even
killed), then the rail road company will be on the hook for those injuries. Why
not bite the bullet now and start removing these existing cars from their
fleets as soon as possible. It could save lives and their company’s money in
the long run.

If you or someone you
love has been injured in a Chicago car accident or Chicago train accident, then
call Chicago injury lawyer, Aaron Bryant, for a free consultation at
312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com.