Railroad accidents do not happen everyday, but when they do, they almost always lead to tragedy.
In the first nine months of 2009 alone, a total of 22 major railroad accidents have been recorded worldwide.
In 17 of those cases, at least one person died.
Why do railroad accidents happen? What can you do if you or your family member is a victim of railroad accidents? It is important for every citizen to know the answers to these questions because railroad accident, though smaller in number compared to road accidents, is ten times more lethal.
In June 22 of this year, two Washington rush-hour passenger trains collided leaving at least 9 people killed and 70 others injured.
Investigators find evidence that the cause of the collision is computer malfunction.
These Washington trains are operating on automatic mode, meaning the whole train was controlled primarily by a computer.
Computers, no matter how many upgrades people do to them, can never be 100% perfect.
It will always be susceptible to bugs and viruses.
Just like computers, the machinery used throughout the operation are vulnerable to wear and tear.
Defective controls, inadequate signal interchanges and faulty train tracks have been known to cause railroad accidents as well.
Computers and machines can break down and experts are needed to be on standby all the time.
But what if the break down happens too fast or if the expert is nowhere to be found? When that happens, the results are terrible.
Of course, we cannot fully blame computers for railroad accidents because in some cases of these accidents, humans are still to blame.
Negligence in the part of railroad crew may result to accidents as well.
Drug abuse or alcohol abuse in the part of the operator could derail a train.
If he is under the influence of these substances, he might press the wrong buttons or overshoot the railway, both of which have also been recorded to cause railroad accidents.
Nature cannot be held innocent as well.
Sun kinks, or thermal misalignments, have happened over time.
This is an event when the rails bend or derail due to the sun's intense heat.
If this happens while a train is in operation, results could be highly disastrous.
In the first nine months of 2009 alone, a total of 22 major railroad accidents have been recorded worldwide.
In 17 of those cases, at least one person died.
Why do railroad accidents happen? What can you do if you or your family member is a victim of railroad accidents? It is important for every citizen to know the answers to these questions because railroad accident, though smaller in number compared to road accidents, is ten times more lethal.
In June 22 of this year, two Washington rush-hour passenger trains collided leaving at least 9 people killed and 70 others injured.
Investigators find evidence that the cause of the collision is computer malfunction.
These Washington trains are operating on automatic mode, meaning the whole train was controlled primarily by a computer.
Computers, no matter how many upgrades people do to them, can never be 100% perfect.
It will always be susceptible to bugs and viruses.
Just like computers, the machinery used throughout the operation are vulnerable to wear and tear.
Defective controls, inadequate signal interchanges and faulty train tracks have been known to cause railroad accidents as well.
Computers and machines can break down and experts are needed to be on standby all the time.
But what if the break down happens too fast or if the expert is nowhere to be found? When that happens, the results are terrible.
Of course, we cannot fully blame computers for railroad accidents because in some cases of these accidents, humans are still to blame.
Negligence in the part of railroad crew may result to accidents as well.
Drug abuse or alcohol abuse in the part of the operator could derail a train.
If he is under the influence of these substances, he might press the wrong buttons or overshoot the railway, both of which have also been recorded to cause railroad accidents.
Nature cannot be held innocent as well.
Sun kinks, or thermal misalignments, have happened over time.
This is an event when the rails bend or derail due to the sun's intense heat.
If this happens while a train is in operation, results could be highly disastrous.
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