A quick Google search on MetroRail incidents shows how people are regularly getting injured or killed by MetroRail trains in the metropolitan area of Houston, Texas. As the rail expands through the North, East, and South parts of Houston, one can find incidents on each one of the lines on which the trains operate.
What is important to know is that Metro conducts its own investigation as to whether or not each incident was preventable by their own operators. They investigate within hours after an incident, essentially getting the first jump at figuring out what happened to cause a collision with a pedestrian, biker, or vehicle. However, even if an incident is deemed preventable by Metro’s own safety department, that doesn’t mean they will own any responsibility in the personal injury or wrongful death claim against Metro.
Metro enjoys the benefit of some legal protections from lawsuits under the law as a local government entity. One of those laws forces anyone with an injury or death claim against Metro to file a lawsuit within 6 months of the date of the incident. Time is only on Metro’s side because Metro does not disclose the results of its investigation unless it is specifically requested under the Texas Public Information Act.
Metro defends cases aggressively, so be prepared to act fast and aggressively by speaking with a lawyer who knows what Metro does behind the scenes after a collision. If you or someone you know has been injured or killed in a collision involving a MetroRail train, contact an experienced attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling (713) 222-7211 or toll free at 713-222-7211.