As one of California’s most urbanized areas, San Fernando Valley personal injury lawyers will tell you that people of all ages, whether they get behind the wheel of a car or not, are at risk of accidents that can cost them their lives and limbs.
Studies show that San Fernando Valley many accident injuries occur near schools, on urban streets and at train crossings.
Dangerous Train Crossings Worry San Fernando Valley Commuters
In 2008, San Fernando Valley figured prominently in the news after a Metrolink train collided with a Union Pacific freight train in Chatsworth. Reports showed that 25 people were killed and 135 others were injured in the horrific collision. Investigation showed that the Metrolink train engineer may have been text messaging at the time of the crash, which led him to miss a red light warning.
Aside from the tragic 2008 crash, safety experts say that San Fernando Valley is home to some of the system’s most dangerous crossings. They identified these areas as Buena Vista Street in Burbank and Sunland Boulevard in Sun Valley. In January 2003, two people were killed when a man’s vehicle was struck by a Metrolink train traveling 79 mph. Two train cars were also derailed and 20 other Metrolink riders were injured in the train accident. In January 2006, a 76-year-old lady was killed after her car was hit by a Metrolink train going 75 mph. The woman’s car was dragged a third of a mile before the train could stop.
Metrolink officials, however, are aware of the city’s track record when it comes to train safety. They recently announced, that as a result of the 2008 Chatsworth crash, video cameras have been installed inside and outside all of the rail system’s locomotives. The new safety measures also include video records, similar to those of an airplane’s black box, which will be reviewed daily on a random basis to determine whether engineers adhere to bans on cellphones, text messaging and entertaining unauthorized passengers in the cab.
Unsafe Driving in School Zones Puts Children, Crossing Guards At Risk
The most vulnerable members of the population include children. In fact, San Fernando Valley safety officials say that 25 to 30 children are injured every year while on their way to school or while going home. But it’s not only children who are at risk. San Fernando Valley has 146 crossing guards and they recently spoke out about some people’s cavalier driving attitudes near school zones.
San Fernando Valley crossing guards say that even though cars are supposed to wait for them to get back on the curb, some drivers turn right in front of them. One Valley crossing guard recounted how one driver completely ignored him as walked back to the curb and even laughed as she almost hit him. Despite a 25 mph speed limit in school zones, another crossing guard suffered serious personal injuries when he was hit by a speeding driver in Granada Hills.
Even parents put their own children at risk with their driving habits, said one San Fernando Valley transportation official. Because many parents are in a rush to drop off their children at schools, they compromise their kids’ safety and those of other children. One girl was dragged down the street by her mother when the child’s backpack was caught in the car handle as she stepped out of the vehicle.
San Fernando Valley Personal Injury Lawyers Note Disturbing Pattern in City’s Car Accidents
Meantime, many San Fernando personal injury attorneys are also concerned that many accidents seem to take place in select streets and areas in the city. Recent studies showed that in the last three years, at least 90 people have been killed on just 20 San Fernando Valley streets.
Many San Fernando Valley personal injury law firms say that this means that either the city is not doing enough to make the roads safe for its citizens or some motorists are stubborn about sticking to their unsafe driving practices. Some of the most dangerous streets include Laurel Canyon Boulevard, Burbank Boulevard and Nordhoff Street, which had 28 fatal accidents between them.
