Fatality and Injury Reported in Train Accident Near Ferrari Ranch Road
A fatal train accident occurred in Lincoln on September 26 when a vehicle was hit by a Union Pacific train. The adult female driver died in the train crash, while a juvenile passenger suffered injuries. The accident happened close to the Lincoln Boulevard intersection with Ferrari Ranch Road at about 5:30 p.m.
Vehicle Pushed Along Tracks in Train Accident
The train track passes through Ferrari Ranch Road a short distance before drivers reach that intersection. Authorities at the Lincoln Police Department reported that the train was going north when it collided with the southbound vehicle, which was pushed along the tracks and fell off near Auburn Ravine.
Juvenile Transported to UC Davis With Injuries
When officers and first responders from the fire department arrived at the train accident scene, they discovered the driver and his passenger. Although emergency life-saving measures were performed on the driver, Ashlee Rhodes, she died at the accident scene.
The juvenile passenger, identified as the 4-year-old son of the driver, was taken to UC Davis Trauma Center for additional care. The Union Pacific Railroad and Lincoln police are partnering in the investigation of how the collision occurred. A GoFundMe page has been created on behalf of the family to assist with medical and funeral costs.
Accidents Caused by Poor Equipment Placement or Failure Can Be Fatal
Although driver error causes a high number of train collisions that result in injuries or fatalities, this isn’t always the case. The following are some of the things that can cause or contribute to train accidents:
- Barriers or signage may be placed in dangerous locations, which can lead to a train accident with a motor vehicle.
- Faulty equipment and missed communication with the signaling system can lead to a serious collision.
- The train may be involved in an accident if its brakes malfunction.
- It is possible for a train to derail or go off track if its rails are defective or broken.
- A malfunction at a crossing, such as the arms not coming down, alarm doesn’t sound or lights malfunctioning can lead to a train accident.
- Alcohol consumption or speeding by the engineer driving the train as well as other forms of negligence can cause a crash.
- Nonfunctioning or misaligned couplers can cause the train cars to disengage and potentially crash.
- If a horn is not sounded before approaching, negligence may be at fault. A locomotive engineer must sound the train horn from 15 to 20 seconds before reaching a crossing, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. The standard pattern when a train horn is sounded is several long blasts, followed by a short one and an additional long one. The engineer is required to repeat this pattern until the train reaches the crossing. In addition, the decibel level of the train’s horn must be between 96 and 110.
Getting skilled legal advice after an accident or train derailment is crucial if you or someone you love has been injured or died in a train accident. You may be able to recover compensation by hiring a railroad accident attorney. Don’t delay taking action to get compensation. Reach out to our accident attorney today.
Lincoln Personal Injury Lawyer
I am Ed Smith, a Lincoln personal injury lawyer. When you’ve lost a loved one or someone in your family has suffered an injury in a train collision, you may benefit from our free and friendly advice on whether you can recover damages. Contact us at (916) 921-6400 or at (800) 404-5400. In addition, we can be reached online.
Visit the links below to learn how our team of injury lawyers helped our clients get fair compensation:
Our membership in the following associations is an honor:
Photo attribution: Image by Rob Owen-Wahl from Pixabay
:cd llo ds [653]