General Palmer Railroad Negligence Case Study

1115 Words3 Pages

1. Purpose - To prove negligence of both General Palmer Railroad and engineer Lee Thompson in regards to the accident that killed John Goodson. To prove that current railroad regulations and procedures are not adequate to prevent grade crossing accidents. 2. Question at Issue - How are the engineer and railroad negligent? What could have been done by the engineer and railroad company to prevent the accident? Would more training have invoked a different preventative response from the engineer? Are the current railroad safety regulations sufficient? Are there any warnings on the road before it curves towards the track? If you didn’t know the area would you clearly be able to spot a train? What if a car was stalled on the tracks? Would a train …show more content…

Concepts –General Palmer Railroad was negligent and caused the death of John Goodson. Several factors attribute to negligence including insufficient operating regulations, lack of training for engineers and train crew, inadequate warnings at crossings and obstruction of the right of way view for both drivers and its train engineers. It is stated in the affidavit of the engineer that he did not see the truck until he passed the treeline. The treeline ends a ¼ mile before the grade crossing even though it takes ¾ miles for a train to stop. He admits he felt as if the truck was racing him and his first reaction was to blow the whistle instead of applying the brakes. This particular crossing had an accident 6 years prior so it should have been common sense for the engineer take extra precautions. According to exhibit 5, the Ralston Rd. had a diagnostic review on March 21st, 2006 and was scheduled to have gates installed in July of 2009. The review was about two months before the fatal accident involving John. This proves that Goodson Railroad knew the crossing needed improvement prior to the …show more content…

Implications and Consequences - It takes 3 times the distance of a quarter mile for a train to stop so it is implied that the whistle post at the quarter mile marking is not an effective preventative measure or warning. If the trees had been cleared to provide more visibility prior to the ¼ mile whistle post John would have had a better chance of seeing the train. Extended visibility would have also allowed Lee Thompson to start blowing the whistle and braking sooner. If the crossing had gates a train coming out of a treeline at 60mph at ¼ mile before the crossing wouldn’t be so surprising and John would still be

Open Document