Galen Stoller was killed at a railroad crossing when an AMTRAK train hit his car
ID: 407092 • Letter: G
Question
Galen Stoller was killed at a railroad crossing when an AMTRAK train hit his car. The crossing was marked with a stop sign and a railroad-crossing symbol, but there were no flashing lights. Galen’s parents filed a suit against National Railroad Passenger Corp. (AMTRAK) and Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railroad Corp., alleging negligence in the design and maintenance of the crossing. The defendants argued that Galen had not stopped at the stop sign. Was AMTRAK negligent? What was the proximate cause of the accident? Discuss.
Explanation / Answer
In this case, as the flashing lights was not present, Amtrak was negligent. Flashing lights works as a warning signal and should have been present at the site.
The case is based on proximate cause. Proximate cause is an event that is related to a legally recognizable injury. Absence of flashing lights lead to an increased risk of an accident at the railroad crossing.
Even though the crossing was marked with a stop sign and a railroad-crossing symbol, absence of the flashing lights prevented Galen Stoller from perceiving any danger or any risk as he could not see the train in the absence of the flashing light.
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