Kreindler Representing Victims of Tragic Metro-North Train Crash Valhalla, NY
Attorneys
What Happened
Kreindler is currently investigating the Metro-North train crash in Valhalla, NY, and has been retained by several passengers and their families. The crash killed five train passengers and the driver of an SUV crossing the tracks and injured more than a dozen. The collision occurred at the Commerce Street crossing in the Westchester County town of Mount Pleasant, near Valhalla. The safety of the railroad crossing itself is being investigated, as well as the actions of Metro-North personnel during the accident sequence, and the design of the third rail integration. The firm is also investigating the events leading up to the collision, such as the nearby auto accident on the Taconic State Parkway that detoured traffic around the close-by cemetery and over the railroad tracks in the dark. We are also reviewing the actions of the driver of the SUV that was struck at the crossing. Kreindler has already retained one of the foremost experts in railroad crossing design to assist in our investigation and to prepare for trial.
Even if Metro-North is not at fault for the actual collision, they could still be at fault for defective design for the third rail.
Passengers should be aware that before any lawsuits can be filed against Metro-North, municipalities or the state, a Notice of Claim must be filed with each entity within 90 days of the accident but no later than May 4, 2015. In the tragic cases involving death, a tolling provision provides that the 90 days begins to run after a surrogate court appoints a personal representative of the estate.
The Kreindler firm successfully resolved each of its cases against Metro-North from the December 1, 2013, derailment at Spuyten Duyvil in the Bronx and is now focusing all of its vast resources on the Valhalla incident.