Fatal Railroad Crossing Accident Lawsuit Settled for $6 Million

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The family of a young woman killed in a 2010 Chicago train accident has reached a $6 million settlement with the Illinois Central Railroad Company. According to court records, company workers turned off a train signal earlier in the day for maintenance work, causing the fatal accident at the crossing. The settlement came following jury selection in a trial to determine damages in the case, which made national headlines and sparked public outrage about safety conditions in and around railroad crossings.

Free Train & Railroad Accident Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in an accident involving a railroad or train, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a suit against the railroad company and we can help.

What’s the problem?

March 21, 2012 – The wrongful death lawsuit was filed on behalf of the family of Katie Ann Lunn, a 26-year-old dance instructor who was driving home from her students’ competition on April 16, 2010, when her SUV was broadsided at high speed by an Amtrak train.

The railroad crossing signals reportedly failed to warn Lunn that a train was coming because they had been disabled earlier in the day for maintenance work, and remained off when the collision occurred at approximately 9:40 PM, when the victim’s SUV was crossing the tracks.

Illinois Central Railroad Company admitted that it was liable for the accident, and chose to settle the case before it could be heard by a jury. Many believe that the jury would have been shown a video of the actual accident as it occurred.

The prosecution in the case was expected to call two witnesses who drove over the tracks just seconds before the train collided with the victim’s SUV, both of whom stated that the crossing signal lights were not working and that the gate to prevent cars from going over the tracks did not come down until most of the train had already passed.

Katie Ann Lunn was a dance instructor who taught at Joffrey Ballet School in Chicago and the School of Performing Arts in Naperville. She was on her way home from watching her students’ dance recital the night she passed away.

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The Personal Injury Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in train and railroad accident lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new personal injury and wrongful death cases in all 50 states.

Free Train & Railroad Accident Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a train or railroad accident, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a railroad accident injury suit and we can help.