Will Positive Train Control Save Lives?
October 5, 2012 By Fisher & Talwar, Professional Law Corporation
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After the horrific train accident of 2008 in Chatsworth, CA, Congress passed an act that would require all passenger trains to be outfitted with the Positive Train Control system (PTC) by 2015. The city of Los Angeles on the other hand has taken further initiative to make that requirement come true much earlier.
Just last month, Metrolink, the agency that transports close to 40,000 people per day via its network of trains has revealed to the public the very first train fully equipped with PTC. The life-saving technology that is already widely used in many countries around the world has finally come to Southern California, but one has to wonder just how many lives it will save?
Everyone who is closely familiar with PTC has agreed that the 2008 Chatsworth crash could have been prevented had this technology been in place at the time. The state-of-the-art override system will act as a fail-safe mechanism to prevent trains from going too fast, allow it to stop in time and take appropriate action to prevent a disaster the likes of 2008. PTC is a satellite-based technology that automatically alerts trains of possible dangers and automatically corrects a problem if the human counterpart fails to take appropriate action. But what about collisions where trains are side slammed into from the side, like the recent crash in Central California that left 20 injured when a semi-truck failed to stop at a crossing? Will PTC prevent those types of injuries? - Probably not.
The type of accidents where an Amtrak passenger train was derailed on Monday, the 1st of October are odd and few in between that won’t necessarily benefit from the Positive Train Control system. However, the incident brought up some good concerns regarding the planned bullet train route spanning from San Francisco to Los Angeles. What’s to stop an accident with similar conditions from happening when the bullet train project is completed? There were no mentions whether the agency in charge is planning to build a new track, rather outfit existing tracks for use.
There is no doubt that the PTC technology will stop many of the currently preventable accidents from taking place, but there are still far too many questions about the safety of passengers when it comes to the train being hit indirectly. Injuries sustained at 60-70 mph are terrible enough, what of injuries sustained at 220 mph? As with any new system, testing will tell for sure, but at what cost and how many lawsuits – that is yet to be seen.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Fisher & Talwar
Fisher & Talwar is a personal injury law firm in Los Angeles, CA. Jamie Fisher is a seasoned litigator with extensive experience representing real estate and business owners in eminent domain and inverse condemnation matters. Additionally, Mr. Fisher has successfully litigated a wide range of real estate related matters including construction defect, buyer/seller disputes, ADA compliance, CEQA, landlord/tenant and unlawful detainer. Vibhu Talwar is an aggressive litigator with more than a decade of legal experience. His practice involves complex business litigation and catastrophic injury. Throughout his legal career, he has assisted businesses and individuals in recovering millions of dollars.
Copyright Fisher & Talwar, Professional Law Corporation
More information about Fisher & Talwar, Professional Law Corporation
Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, it is not intended to provide legal advice as individual situations will differ and should be discussed with an expert and/or lawyer. For specific technical or legal advice on the information provided and related topics, please contact the author.
Everyone who is closely familiar with PTC has agreed that the 2008 Chatsworth crash could have been prevented had this technology been in place at the time. The state-of-the-art override system will act as a fail-safe mechanism to prevent trains from going too fast, allow it to stop in time and take appropriate action to prevent a disaster the likes of 2008. PTC is a satellite-based technology that automatically alerts trains of possible dangers and automatically corrects a problem if the human counterpart fails to take appropriate action. But what about collisions where trains are side slammed into from the side, like the recent crash in Central California that left 20 injured when a semi-truck failed to stop at a crossing? Will PTC prevent those types of injuries? - Probably not.
The type of accidents where an Amtrak passenger train was derailed on Monday, the 1st of October are odd and few in between that won’t necessarily benefit from the Positive Train Control system. However, the incident brought up some good concerns regarding the planned bullet train route spanning from San Francisco to Los Angeles. What’s to stop an accident with similar conditions from happening when the bullet train project is completed? There were no mentions whether the agency in charge is planning to build a new track, rather outfit existing tracks for use.
There is no doubt that the PTC technology will stop many of the currently preventable accidents from taking place, but there are still far too many questions about the safety of passengers when it comes to the train being hit indirectly. Injuries sustained at 60-70 mph are terrible enough, what of injuries sustained at 220 mph? As with any new system, testing will tell for sure, but at what cost and how many lawsuits – that is yet to be seen.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Fisher & Talwar
Fisher & Talwar is a personal injury law firm in Los Angeles, CA. Jamie Fisher is a seasoned litigator with extensive experience representing real estate and business owners in eminent domain and inverse condemnation matters. Additionally, Mr. Fisher has successfully litigated a wide range of real estate related matters including construction defect, buyer/seller disputes, ADA compliance, CEQA, landlord/tenant and unlawful detainer. Vibhu Talwar is an aggressive litigator with more than a decade of legal experience. His practice involves complex business litigation and catastrophic injury. Throughout his legal career, he has assisted businesses and individuals in recovering millions of dollars.
Copyright Fisher & Talwar, Professional Law Corporation
More information about Fisher & Talwar, Professional Law Corporation
View all articles published by Fisher & Talwar, Professional Law Corporation
Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, it is not intended to provide legal advice as individual situations will differ and should be discussed with an expert and/or lawyer. For specific technical or legal advice on the information provided and related topics, please contact the author.
