Blog Topic

San Francisco's Muni Rail Accident Toll Mounting
January 18, 2008

San Francisco's cityscape would be unimaginable without its streetcars. The Munis run by the San Francisco Municipal Railway are an important means of transport for the city's residents.

In recent years, however they have become a source of death and injury, with one particularly grisly death marking the first of the year. A man was dragged by a Muni streetcar for close to two blocks after he tripped and fell. He died instantly.

Muni-related fatalities have been on the increase in recent years. 2007 was a particularly tragic year - a total of 8 people were killed by Munis. In at least three of the cases police say, the pedestrians were at fault. In one however, a Muni driver was charged with vehicular manslaughter, and in two other accidents, blame hasn't been determined yet.

The Municipal Transportation Agency, which is in charge of the Munis says drivers who have been involved in fatality-causing accidents are forced to undergo retraining or even fired outright.

Strangely there's no information forthcoming when asked what happened to Cecilia Hariston, a driver who was charged with vehicular manslaughter in the death of Kenji Sujuki. It does seem like the Municipal Transportation Agency isn't saying all it knows about certain accidents. They say it doesn't make it easier when Munis, pedestrians and cars, all jostle for space on the same roads.

There are other factors besides pedestrian carelessness to blame here. Areas like the intersection between Ninth Avenue and Irving Street are particularly prone to Muni-related accidents. Locals have been pressing city officials to make changes to the intersection to avoid the dangers of pedestrians being run over, but without much success.

If you or a family member has been injured or killed in a train accident, you need the experience of a California personal injury attorney on your side. Contact a lawyer at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.

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Train-Car Crash Victim's Family Files A Lawsuit Against Kern County
January 07, 2008

On November 29, 2006, Rafael Marin Carrillo was killed when a train hit his car at the tracks near Kratzmeyer Road and Santa Fe Way in Bakersfield, California. Next week, a lawsuit filed by Christina Marin and Carrillo's children goes to hearings. The lawsuit has been filed against the Burlington Santa Fe Railway, the county of Kern and the state of California.

The lawsuit alleges that the intersection was dangerous because crossing bars that would have prevented cars from driving over the tracks when a train was nearby were not in place.

Even more disturbing, the lawsuit alleges, among other things, that the railroad, county and state governments knew that there was a problem that needed to be fixed and yet, they chose to "point fingers" and assign responsibility to each other, without fixing the problem. They did this to avoid or shift the cost of fixing the problem, which, as it all too frequently does, lead to tragic consequences.

Carrillo wasn't the first person to be killed at the intersection. On February 17, 2005, 79-year-old Mary Young Williams was killed at the exact same spot.

It appears Kern County train officials are making attempts to rectify the situation. In order to prevent future accidents a median has been added to the intersection courtesy of the county, and the railroad company installed the much-needed crossing arms.

Too bad it was a little late for Rafael Carrillo and Mary Young Williams.

If you or a loved-one has been injured or killed in a train accident, you need an experienced California personal injury attorney to represent you. Contact The Reeves Law Group immediately for a free consultation.

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