Metro System Needs Safety Backup | DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog

Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, Esquire

The National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) investigation of last month’s deadly Metro crash prompted the board to conclude that WMATA’s electrical system is insufficient.  The Board has “urged the transit agency to add a real-time, continuous backup that would alert train operators to potential problems and stop trains when necessary,” according to a Washington Post report by Lena Sun.

Mark V. Rosenker, Acting Chairman of the NTSB, stated, “While the NTSB is still in the very early stages of its investigation into this tragic accident here in our nation’s capital, we have concerns about the failure of [Metro’s] train control system to prevent this collision.”  The Board has advised the Federal Transit Agency to review similar transit systems throughout the country to determine whether other systems need greater redundancy.  This action suggests that the failures of the local Metro system could be emblematic of a national crisis. We hope that all governments and transit agencies thoroughly and expeditiously analyze and test their transit systems so that the tragedy that occurred a month ago here in our nation’s capital never happens anywhere in America again.

About the author:

Mr. Zambri has been rated by Washingtonian magazine as a “Big Gun” and among the “top 1%” of all lawyers in the Washington metropolitan area.  The magazine also describes him as “one of Washington’s best–most honest and effective lawyers” who specializes in personal injury matters. He has successfully litigated multiple cases against truck and bus companies, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, and other automobile owners.  His law firm, in fact, has obtained the largest settlement ever in a personal injury case involving WMATA. Mr. Zambri has also been named a “Super Lawyer” by Super Lawyer magazine (March/April 2009)–a national publication that honors the top lawyers in America.

Many Americans are killed or injured each year in vehicular collisions.  If you want more information about your legal rights, please email Mr. Zambri at [email protected] or call him at 202-822-1899.