Information to Families of those Hurt or Killed On The Metro Train Accident

Our thoughts and prayers go out to those injured and families of those killed in today's Metro Accident that occurred in Northwest Washington, D.C. between the Takoma Park station and the Fort Totten Station. If you need information about passengers on the train, you should call 202-727-9011 or, from the Washington, D.C. area, just dial "311." Metro has advised riders to avoid the red line until further notice. The train accident occurred at 4:59 pm today and news reports indicate that 6 people were killed and about 70 were injured. Mayor Fenty descibed the metro train crash as the worst in its 33 year history. Although WMATA (the owner/operator of Metro) has not indicated the cause of hte crash, it seems that one train was stopped and another struck the stopped train in the rear essentially ripping the METRO cars apart. The operator of one of the trains is reported to have been killed in the crash. One of the passengers on the train when it crashed, Jodie Wickett (a nurse), indicated that she felt a bump and then the train came to a halt. Then, a few seconds later there was an impact and everyone went flying. The NTSB will certainly investigate this crash and determine its cause. It has been reported that in the history of metro rail system, there have only been 3 major collisions between trains--in 1982, 2004 and the one today (June 22, 2009). If you or your loved ones are considering bringing a legal claim against Metro relating to this crash, you should know the following: (i) there are likely causes of action for negligence and product liability involved in this, and it will be important to make sure that all evidence is preserved properly, (ii) The statute of limitations for negligence claims in Washington, D.C. is generally 3 years from the date of the incident, (iii) WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority) which owns and operates the metro rail system in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia, has a staff council office in Washington, D.C. In or experience, they are difficult to deal with and often do not treat those injured as a result of their operators negligence fairly. IF YOUR LOVED ONE WAS KILLED IN THE ACCIDENT, YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS FOR WRONGFUL DEATH CLAIMS IN WASHINGTON, D.C. IS ONE YEAR. Therefore it is crucial that you act quickly and hire a qualified lawyer to pursue your claims. When an indiviual dies as a result of a train accident in Washington, D.C. there are two claims that need to be considered: (i) Wrongful Death Claim, and the (ii) Survival Claim (brought by the estate of deceased). The damages available for each of these claims are quite different. For more information on wronful death and survival claims click here: http://www.gfmlawllc.com/wrongful-death.cfm
To see the Washington, D.C. law on wrongful death and survival click here: http://www.gfmlawllc.com/dc%20death%20law_20070516093826.pdf
For more information about your legal rights if you or someone you love was injured in this terrible metro bus crash call us at 301-589-2999 x102. We are located just a block from the Silver Spring Red Line Metro Station.