Railroad Crossing Safety A Must To Avoid A New Haven Auto Accident

A recent accident between a Metro North train and a driver in Norwalk closed roads and forced the driver to the hospital with serious injuries and serves as a reminder that we are not only sharing roads with other motor vehicles, but also with much larger transportation vehicles that can cause serious harm if we’re not careful.  A New Haven auto accident involving a passing train can be deadly and should never be taken lightly.

The recent incident in Norwalk presents a good opportunity to review the safety procedures you should take as you are driving throughout the Elm City and beyond if you do come across a railroad crossing.  While there is a lot of good signage to give drivers direction as to what to do at the crossings, there are some rules you should know and make sure you follow to insure that you are not putting yourself or other passengers in your vehicle at risk.

If you follow these rules of the road when crossing railroad tracks you will keep everyone you are with safe and avoid any serious injury.

• Come to a complete stop when directed to do so either by a traffic signal or by emergency personnel that are on the scene.  This is a requirement by law and will not only keep you safe, but it will keep you from getting fined or from getting into more serious trouble.
• Do not cross the train tracks when a train is passing or you are being stopped by emergency personnel.  You will be instructed when it is safe to cross either by the absence of a light signal or when the emergency personnel give you direction that it is safe to approach and cross the train tracks.
• If there are gates that are in front of you at the train tracks you should never approach them too closely OR attempt to go around them.  These gates are operating to signal to you that the train is on it’s way and that you should stop and wait for it to pass.  Trying to circumvent these gates could put you in harms way.

The signal systems that are in place for a train crossing are intended to give ample warning that a train is approaching.  It is almost certain that a train is en route when these signals are displayed and you should obey the direction that is given by these signals.  While it is possible that one of these lights or gates will operate due to faulty wiring or a bad battery backup, it is unlikely and you should always treat them as if they are signaling you that a train’s arrival is imminent.  When you follow these signals that are designed to keep you safe you are doing your part to avoid a New Haven auto accident that is involving a train so you can keep yourself and your passengers safe while also not disrupting the commute of thousands of rail riders.

While there are not a LOT of train crossings in New Haven, they do exists and if you are not careful and following all of the posted signs and rules of the road as they relate to train crossings you may find yourself injured.  In the event that you do get injured you may wish to speak with an attorney who can review your situation and work with you to protect your long-term interests.  Contact our office and one of our experienced attorneys will speak with you.