Memphis Attorneys Advocating for People Injured in Train, Trolley and Subway Crashes

Tennessee mass transit injury lawyers providing skilled legal counsel

When you board the train, you are placing your trust in the conductor to operate the train safely and to get you to your destination on time. Fortunately, the majority of train rides are uneventful, but on the rare occasion when there is a crash, and people sustain injuries or if there are fatalities, the injured and the loved ones of those killed may be able to recover compensation for their losses.

At the Tennessee law firm of Bailey & Greer PLLC, we focus on protecting the rights of the injured. If you are hurt in a train, trolley, or subway crash or derailment, we are here to protect your rights and fight for the compensation you deserve.

Different types of train or trolley accidents

You might be injured in a crash when a train strikes your vehicle. Whenever a car collides with a train, the outcome is almost guaranteed to be devastating. According to data compiled by WHYY, there were 4,845 accidents/incidents involving train and rail lines in 2023, and more than 600 fatalities. Highway-rail and trespassing accounted for 96.79% of all fatalities. Other types of train accidents might include the following:

• Train derailment
• Crash with another train
• Railroad crossing crash
• Collision with a motor vehicle
• Collision with a pedestrian

Additionally, accidents can happen as passengers board and disembark from a train or trolley, or if the train or trolley comes to an unexpected hard stop which sends passengers tumbling inside the train cars.

Causes of train, trolley and subway crashes

The following are a few examples of factors that can cause train accidents:

• Health emergency with conductor
• Speeding
• Mechanical failure
• Defective tracks
• Railroad crossing in disrepair
• Defective track switching mechanism

The downtown Memphis trolley system

Memphis has a fleet of vintage electric trolleys that shuttle visitors up and down Main Street, Second Street, and Front Street between Exchange and Peabody Place. All three lines came back in service in 2018. According to a report by ABC 24, the Riverside and Madison Avenues lines – both of which were shut down in 2014 after a series of fires – were supposed to be back online in 2022. To date, no one knows (or is saying) when they will be back.

In a circumstance where one of these trolleys caught on fire, it would be the duty of the conductor to get all the passengers out safely.

Before these trolleys were recently remodeled, they had a tendency to catch on fire. In a circumstance where one of these trolleys caught on fire, it would be the duty of the conductor to get all the passengers out safely.