Washington DC Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Archive for June, 2009

Investigation into the Metro Red Line Collision

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

The investigation into the worst Metro train accident in history has begun. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has begun the investigation into Monday’s Metro train collision. The NTSB is conducting “sight distance tests” to discover when the conductor of the 2nd train could have seen the first and at what speed it was going. This investigation is necessary because neither train was equipped with a data recorder or “black box” to tell investigators what was happening prior to the collision. Investigators have discovered that the emergency brake was pushed prior to the collision. It has also been discovered that the train that rear-ended the stopped train was two months overdue for routine brake maintenance.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time that the safety procedures employed by WMATA have failed and led to the wrongful death and/or injury of an innocent victim. In 2006 there were two separate accidents which led to the deaths of three Metro employees performing track work.

The NTSB made suggestions of implementing new safeguards to prevent this type of accident from occurring again. The investigation will look into whether the safeguards or Metro’s scheduled maintenance of the train at issue was to blame for this accident. Click here to read the NTSB’s 2004 report recommending safeguards.

If you or someone you love was injured or killed in this accident, please contact the law firm of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C.

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Red Line Train Disaster- Even Worse Than Many Feared

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

When we awoke on Tuesday, June 23, 2009, we learned that the death toll had risen from 6 to 9. Hopefully the death toll will not continue to rise from the worst tragedy in the history of the Metro train system. Our prayers are with the families of the deceased and the injured.

The law firm of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. offer our condolences to the families of the deceased and a speedy recovery to the injured. Our services are available as soon as you feel that you are able to consult and address this tragedy.

by Ira Sherman

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Metro Train Crash On The Red Line

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

Preliminary news reports indicate that there may be several deaths and a large number of other casualties as a result of the Metro train crash on the red line near the Fort Totten Metro station. While we hope that this apparent mass casualty incident turns out to not be as bad as initial reports indicate, we, as longstanding members of this community recognize the need to advise you of your right to obtain experienced competent legal counsel to seek justice on behalf of you and your loved ones.

The lawyers at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. have over 50 years of accumulated experience in pursuing justice on behalf of individuals injured as a result of the carelessness of Metro employees. We have a long history of successfully representing people injured in Metro stations and on its trains.

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury or if a loved one has wrongfully lost their life as a result of this tragedy, contact Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. to receive aggressive and competent legal counsel.

by Ira Sherman

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Allan M. Siegel Becomes Chairman of the Maryland State Advisory Board of the Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

The Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America is a national association of lawyers who are committed to help eliminate unsafe and illegal practices by tractor-trailer drivers, tractor-trailer companies, bus companies, bus drivers, and other trucks or commercial vehicles involved in interstate commerce. The organization is dedicated to providing education, as well as legislation, to make America’s highways safer.

Partner Allan M. Siegel has become the Chairman of the State Advisory Board for the state of Maryland. Membership on the State Advisory Board is by invitation only and is limited to 11 lawyers in the each state. The State Advisory Board members are unpaid volunteers who have agreed to provide the association with innovative guidance and counsel to help achieve the association’s mission of reducing traffic deaths and injuries that are caused as a result of truck or bus companies that operate their commercial vehicles in violation of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. Mr. Siegel is honored to have been selected to chair this esteemed group.

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Fireworks – “Not reliable and unpredictable”

Monday, June 15th, 2009

Those are not the words of a lawyer but rather those of a Fire Chief in Fairfax County, Virginia who was commenting on a tragedy which had occurred on July 4, 2007 at a town-sponsored fireworks show in Fairfax County. The town of Vienna, Virginia sponsored a fireworks show in 2007 and invited the public to attend. Clients of the firm did attend and sat in an area designated as safe to do so by the Town of Vienna.

During the grand finale of the show, a mortar ripped through the crowd of spectators and struck the law firm’s client in the chest. It bounced off him and exploded near his son who was standing nearby. Both father and son were severely injured. The law firm filed suit to seek compensation for each of them.

The Town of Vienna has said it is immune from suit (cannot be sued for damages) and that the family should look to the fireworks company that shot the fireworks for compensation. The fireworks company denies responsibility for the harm caused by the fireworks.

What the clients are left with is having to establish who should be held accountable. In other words, who did something wrong. The fact that the clients were injured is not in dispute.

I believe that when a person or entity uses a dangerous instrumentality (a bomb such as a firework mortar) and that dangerous instrumentality causes harm, then that person or entity should be held responsible for the harm caused. There should be no need for the injured, innocent victim to have to prove something went wrong. Fireworks are supposed to go into the air and not into the crowd of spectators. The Fire Chief knew fireworks were “not reliable and unpredictable”.

The spectators had no reasonable expectation that a bomb (the fireworks) would rip through and explode in the crowd.

Under such circumstances, it is best that we get beyond the “finger pointing” and permit those injured to obtain complete justice and compensation for their injuries without having to prove fault to the user of the dangerous instrumentality.

Click here to view this story reported by NBC.
Click here to view this story reported by Fox.
Click here to view this story reported by ABC.
Click here to view this story reported by CBS.

Posted in Fourth of July | Comments Off

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Washington DC Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Archive for June, 2009

Investigation into the Metro Red Line Collision

Red Line Train Disaster- Even Worse Than Many Feared

Metro Train Crash On The Red Line

Allan M. Siegel Becomes Chairman of the Maryland State Advisory Board of the Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America

Fireworks – “Not reliable and unpredictable”