Mass Transit Accidents: Brotherly Love

Mass transit is all but unavoidable in big cities. There just isn’t a more affordable and efficient way to get around. Even if you own a car, parking can be expensive, and with traffic snarls there’s no guarantee you’ll get there any more quickly. For the vast majority of urban dwellers, mass transit is really the only option.

Because it is such a commonplace part of our lives, it is utterly terrifying when something major goes wrong with a bus, trolley or subway. At least when you are behind the wheel of the car, you have some control. When you are seated on a bus or train, all you can do is close your eyes and hope for the best.

An accident in Philadelphia is the most recent reminder of our vulnerability. On Monday, November 10th, a trolley carrying dozens of passengers struck or was struck by a car, resulting in eleven of the trolley passengers being rushed to the hospital with injuries. Two of the passengers in the car also required medical assistance.

Unfortunately, these types of accident are altogether too common. In just the last few years, there have been numerous accidents involving Philly trolleys, including:

• An accident between a car and a trolley that injured two on August 1st, 2013
• A car becoming stuck under a trolley after an accident on April 26th, 2014
• A driver killed after a collision with a trolley on May 1st, 2014
• Two injuries in a trolley accident on June 30th, 2014

Though none of these were tragedies on the level of the infamous 1988 accident that left twenty-seven injured, the ongoing safety problems with trolleys in Philadelphia are very concerning. If you or someone you love has been injured in a mass transit accident, please contact an attorney to help you get to the bottom of things.