FELA Lawsuit

The National Transportation Safety Board issued a report on September 11, 2007 citing corroded, worn, bent, and broken rail fasteners as the cause of a commuter train derailment in downtown Chicago. Lateral forces generated as a Chicago Transit Authority train traveled through a curve forced a rail outward, which allowed a wheel to drop into the track bed. Of the approximately 1,000 passengers on the train, 152 were treated and transported from the scene.

The NTSB determined that the railroad and its oversight agencies were most responsible for the incident. The report states that a deficient safety culture existed at the CTA, which allowed track infrastructure to deteriorate to an unsafe condition, ultimately resulting in the derailment. According to Chairman Mark Rosenker: “There were hundreds of missing track inspection records important to the safety of the rail system, yet no one at CTA noticed. And the oversight agencies, the FTA and the RTA, failed to hold the CTA accountable on numerous levels.”

For more information, please contact the FELA Attorneys at Williams Kherkher by calling 1.800.220.9341.