Philadelphia Accident Attorney Rand Spear – Mass Transit Helps Communities But Can Hurt Passengers
People are injured every day on mass transit, not just due to major train or bus accidents that make the news, says Philadelphia mass transit accident attorney Rand Spear.
People using mass transit can sustain injuries through no fault of their own, according to Rand Spear, Philadelphia’s accident attorney. During a recent Google+ hangout, Spear warns that inattentive operators can cause accidents that injure passengers.
Millions of people use mass transit in the Philadelphia region and in New Jersey, so there are many opportunities for things to go wrong.
- SEPTA, the mass transit agency serving Philadelphia and the surrounding area, is the nation’s sixth largest mass transit agency whose service area is about 2,200 square miles, according to SEPTA’s 2013 Media Guide.
- PATCO’s train service runs from New Jersey to Philadelphia serving about 38,000 people each day.
- NJ Transit provides mass transit services throughout New Jersey and into Philadelphia and New York. It provides nearly 223 million passenger trips each year.
- Amtrak provides passenger rail service to the Philadelphia area through the 30th Street Station which serves more than four million people each year.
Though massive accidents, like the derailment of Amtrak 188 in Philadelphia earlier this year, grab the headlines there are accidents involving mass transit every day. “The vehicle could stop short, you could be thrown on the floor. The bus could be driven negligently and you could sustain injuries even though there isn’t an accident between a bus and a car or a bus and a bus,” Spear says.
Though most drivers get passengers to their destination safely, Spear says operators face a lot of distractions and can fail to pay attention. “The driver is collecting fares. There’s a lot of people on the bus. There’s a lot of traffic in front of the bus. They’re moving in and out from the sidewalk and discharging passengers.”
Spear says it’s not always the mass transit agency that is at fault, it’s other drivers making the bus ride hazardous. “Drivers are eating, texting, doing everything that they shouldn’t be doing, which is paying attention.”
If you’re injured due to an accident involving mass transit, Spear recommends you take care of yourself first, then think about legal issues later. “The first thing you should do after an accident is get yourself checked out. If you’re having any problems or pain you can request an ambulance at the scene and they’ll take you to an area hospital,” he advises.
After getting examined and obtaining any needed treatment, “I would make a phone call. I would speak with an attorney and discuss the case. What happened, the types of injuries you sustained and whether or not you’re entitled to seek compensation as a result of that accident.”
If you or a loved one has suffered a mass transit related injury call Rand Spear’s office at 888-373-4LAW. He helps those injured in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
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