Statistically, someone or something is hit by a train somewhere in the United States every 94 minutes. While most such accidents involve non-human objects like stalled vehicles, shopping cars or wayward livestock, people driving or walking near train tracks are at great risk, too - in large part because of simple silence.
Statistics from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) show that 784 people were killed in train-related accidents in 2013, the highest total in the last four years. A top contributing factor, experts say, is that many victims simply don't hear the train coming. It may seem strange that one wouldn't hear a massive machine barreling down the tracks, sometimes at more than 100 miles per hour. But the fact is that factors ranging from railcar and train track engineering to surrounding terrain can actually quiet the sound of several hundred tons of oncoming steel.
Unlike the now-retired steam engines that would hammer the rails, modern railcars glide with low friction and crushed rock routinely placed beneath the tracks helps diminish impact of the wheels against the tracks. Surrounding terrain also can affect sound. For instance, in the instance of a train passes through a corridor of trees, those trees can muffle the sound in much the same way as sound baffles that line the walls of a recording studio. According to the FRA, the average railcar traveling at 50 miles per hour measures in decibels somewhere between a "loud voice" or a "shout." At that rate, a train could easily be upon you quicker than you can hear it coming.
Plus, FRA rules enacted in 2005 allow local governments to establish quiet zones, which remove the former requirements for train operators to routinely sound their horns at all railroad crossings. While this may make for a more peaceful neighborhood, it can prove deadly for someone on or near the tracks at just the wrong time.
We here at Rail Justice urge you to take extra caution when approaching a railroad crossing, particularly if you live in an area that has implemented quiet zones. If you or someone you love is injured in a train accident of any sort, get medical treatment and contact us at 888-519-RAIL to help assure you get fair compensation for your losses.