Causes of Subway Accidents

Subways are a common feature of many of the country’s largest cities. They are used to transport millions of people throughout cities in a way that is quick and efficient and eases congestion on the surface streets of the city. Like any mechanical item that also happens to be operated by humans, there is a chance of mechanical failure or human error.

Mechanical errors are likely to cause injuries or accidents when they are related to important systems like brakes or the doors on the cars. When the brakes fail, which is very rare, a train can be left unhindered by friction to slow it down. This makes stopping at a station very difficult and can cause significant injuries should the train become derailed.

Doors are much more likely to cause injuries than are brake failures. Doors can close on a person. While they, usually, spring back open when they encounter an obstruction, sometimes they do not pull back when they hit an object. Most likely, the object the door hits is going to be a human. When it continues to close, it can cause extensive bruising or other, more severe injuries.

Another reason for subway accidents is human error. Humans are responsible for maintaining the trains themselves as well as for maintaining the tracks on which the trains run. While they typically do an excellent job of ensuring that the trains are in working order, sometimes they have been known to leave tools on the tracks. These tools can result in the train becoming derailed.

Contact a Chicago Subway Injury Attorney

If you have been injured in a subway injury due to negligence on someone’s part, contact the Chicago subway injury attorneys of Friedman & Bonebrake at 312-466-8200.