A tragic subway accident in New York City earlier this week left one man dead. Reports from the scene show that a man was struck by the R train at the Court Street Station in Brooklyn on May 4th. It’s unclear how the man made it onto the tracks but the incoming train was not able to stop in time and hit him.
Subway accidents in New York City are not uncommon. It’s true that a moving train takes a significant time to stop once the brakes are applied. However, if the train is travelling at a safe speed and the operator is alert and able to spot a helpless victim on the tracks immediately, the operator’s reaction time is dramatically increased. Increased reaction time is key in these kind of accident.
It has been shown that train operators sometimes come into the stations at rates of speed much higher than allowed by MTA safety standards. In addition, if the driver isn’t paying enough attention at the time of the approach, they could very easily miss spotting a person on the tracks. Other safety hazards like poor station lighting and improper train maintenance can also contribute to deadly subway accidents in New York’s underground.
But how can you prove that a subway accident in New York City was caused by MTA negligence? You need to hire a professional subway accident attorney in New York City to work for you. These lawyers have the investigative resources and expertise to obtain internal MTA data. Such an investigation could prove that the train was travelling too fast; that the operator applied the brakes far too late or the operator failed to follow an approved practice which contributed to the crash. This information would be nearly impossible to access for a victim of a New York subway accident who was acting on their own.
If you’ve been hurt or if you’ve lost a loved one due to a subway accident, contact the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel. Call at 800-734-9338 or 212-385-1122 today for your free consultation.