Exploring Factors That Frequently Lead To Public Transit Crash Cases
When taking public transportation, you put all of your trust into the equipment and operator to get you to your destination safely and without incident. When an accident occurs, you may be left reeling in your attempts to understand the cause. You may want to make sense of the root cause in an effort to feel safe on public transit in the future. Your personal injury lawyer will also be highly interested in learning the cause of the accident, but for different reasons. In order to secure you the highest compensation package possible, your lawyer must focus on the factors that influenced the incident. Here are several common elements found in public transit accident cases.
Operator Error
Operators of public transportation are under a tremendous amount of pressure to perform their jobs perfectly each day. Unfortunately, accidents can and do happen, often resulting in dozens or even hundreds of injuries to the passengers. The main factors include:
Training Mistakes
Proper training helps vehicle operators respond automatically to potentially dangerous situations. For the best results, operators must go through a series of training sessions on simulators to train their muscle memory with the right response. If operators perform poorly on these training exercises, passengers placed in their care may be at risk.
Inattention
To make it to each destination safely, public transit operators must always pay close attention to the task at hand. Distraction could involve letting the mind wander or simply taking eyes off the intended pathway for several seconds. Without focusing on the task at hand, obstructions and other dangers could take the operator by surprise, resulting in a failure to respond in a timely manner.
Potential Intent
Unfortunately, there's always the risk of an operator causing the accident on purpose. Purposeful crashes are quite rare, however, as most operators honor their position as a pillar of trust in the community.
Equipment Failure
As with all vehicles, public transit equipment requires regular attention to stay intact during its travels. Ideally, trained mechanics regularly inspect the equipment and perform the necessary repairs in an effort to prevent breakdowns, accidents or other incidents.
Missed Maintenance
One of the most important maintenance tasks keeping passengers safe is tightening up hardware. Hardware used for the suspension, brakes and wheels loosens up due to vibrations created while moving down the tracks or roadways. Over time, the bolts could fall out and cause the vehicle to violently jump off the intended path.
Malfunctioning Parts
Like most manufactured products, there's always the chance the part will malfunction with in use. If parts fail unexpectedly, the operator may lose control of the vehicle's steering or braking systems. If this happens, your lawyer may include the parts manufacturer in the case due to their role in the accident.
Incorrect Assembly
Technicians follow a manual depicting the steps for each maintenance or part replacement task. If the parts are assembled in the wrong order, or technicians fail to follow the right torque sequence, the parts could fail under load. Technicians may need to check each other's work before releasing the vehicle as fixed to confirm correct assembly and hardware torque numbers.
Fighting For Compensation
Your personal injury lawyer will pour over law enforcement investigation documents in search of the main causes of the accident. In many cases, more than one factor creates the perfect storm that leads to the incident. You may receive regular updates about the investigation that help you work through internal conflict that may make it difficult to resume the use of public transportation. Your compensation package will likely address the toll on your physical and mental health as a result of the accident. Since your lawyer from a firm like Pressé Mason Barristers and Solicitors will handle the details of the case, you can remain focused on healing from the resulting injuries.