IL Family Wins $36 Million in Fiery Train Derailment Lawsuit

A Rockford, Illinois family will receive $36 million from the Canadian National Railway Company after the wife and mother died as a result of a train derailment near Rockford in June 2009.  The woman’s husband and daughter were both seriously injured in the fiery explosion.

The family was sitting at the railroad crossing when 18 of the 114 cars of the train, which were carrying over 2 million gallons of ethanol, derailed and erupted in flames.  The family car became engulfed in flames.  The woman died as she ran from the car trying to escape the fire.  The daughter, who was 19-years-old and pregnant at the time, suffered serious burns and lost her baby.

The family’s lawyer found that the train’s engineer had been warned that the track was washed out in the direction he was heading.  However, instead of stopping the train, the engineer apparently sped up in hopes of maneuvering the tracks. […]

Car Accident Round-Up – Motorcyclists Die in Florida Accident

Motorcyclist and passenger die after being hit from behind and thrown into traffic

FL Motorcyclist and Passenger Die in Multi-Vehicle Accident
Both the driver of a motorcycle and his passenger died when a Ford Explorer struck the cycle from behind on I-4 near mile marker 122 in DeLand, Florida early Sunday morning.  The Sun-Sentinel reports both occupants were thrown from the motorcycle and were run over by approaching vehicles who could not avoid the wreckage.  A third vehicle swerved and hit a tree leading to a fire.  The driver of the Explorer fled the scene of the crash; however, police have identified a woman who is a person of interest.

Teenager Dies in KY Roll-Over Accident
A Monday afternoon car accident in Nelson County, KY, claimed the life of one teenager and sent two more to the hospital.  The 17-year-old driver apparently lost control of her car as she was heading east on Old Bloomfield Road. […]

New Mexico Family Awarded Over $1 Million in Fatal Accident With Police Officer

The City of Clovis, New Mexico will pay the family of a woman who died in a fatal accident over $1 million.  The accident, which occurred in November 2010, involved a city police officer who was dismissed from the police force after charges were filed against him.

The police officer, who was driving 56 mph in a 35 mph zone, ran through a stop sign at Sycamore and Grand streets, then struck the vehicle where the woman was a passenger.  The driver of her vehicle was injured.

The family of the deceased woman and her driver are currently working out an agreement over the split of the award.  The families will split $750,000 which is the maximum amount of the city’s tort.

The former police officer is awaiting a trial on a vehicular homicide charge.

If you have been injured or a loved one killed in a vehicle accident that was caused by another person’s carelessness or recklessness, […]

GA Men’s Club to Pay $1.75 Million for Over-Serving Alcohol Leading to Deadly Crash

The family of a woman who was killed in a vehicle accident with a drunk driver, who had just left a men’s club in Conley, GA, outside Atlanta, will receive $1.75 million from the club.  The driver had a blood alcohol content of .398, nearly 5 times over the legal limit, at the time of the accident.

The drunk driver was driving his Lincoln Town Car the wrong way on I-20 eastbound in July 2008 and slammed head-on into the victim’s car.  Both drivers died at the scene of the accident. A passenger in the woman’s car died enroute to the local hospital.

The lawsuit alleged that Club Blaze should have known the man was intoxicated and should have stopped serving him.  The jury found that the club over-served alcohol to the man.

If you have been injured or a loved one killed in a vehicle accident that was caused by another person’s carelessness or recklessness, […]

Nebraska County Found Liable for Accident Due to Poor Signage

A Nebraska jury awarded a 24-year-old Michigan man $407,000 to be paid by Furnas County, Nebraska for the county’s failure to adequately mark a sharp turn in a road where the man crashed his car leaving him with significant injuries.

The judge in the case found the man 40% liable and the county 60% liable. This reduced the amount of the original award of $678,000 for the county. The man was not wearing a seatbelt and was speeding at the time of the accident.  The judge ruled that the signage at the accident site could not be seen at night, and it was placed too close to the 90-degree turn, giving drivers inadequate time to react.

The accident occurred in December 2007, when the man missed the turn and drove off the road causing his car to flip, trapping in the car for hours.  He suffered spinal cord damage requiring multiple surgeries and weeks of hospitalization. […]