A terrible tragedy occurred in Atkins, Virginia (VA) when a 4-year-old was hit and killed by a Norfolk Southern (NS) train. The child was reportedly playing near train tracks when he was hit by a step on the side of the NS train’s engine, according to nbc29.com.
The young child was originally from Smyth County, VA and this accident occurred at 7 p.m. near a mobile home park in Atkins.
My deepest condolences go out to the parents of this young child. Any death due to an accident is terrible, but it’s especially gut-wrenching when someone so young is taken from us far too soon.
An investigation has been launched to determine what exactly caused this train accident and one of the first steps investigators plan to take is analyzing video from a camera on the Norfolk Southern train, according to wsbt.com.
Our firm has experience handling train accident cases. For example, we represented a client in Winchester, VA who suffered neck and low back injuries after a train derailed. Our client required multiple pain medication injections to the spinal cord area. Fortunately, we were able to reach a successful settlement of $370,000 so our client could cover medical expenses and pain and suffering.
There have been 103 Norfolk Southern train accidents in VA from 2006 to 2009, according to the Federal Railroad Administration Office of Safety Analysis. Approximately 34 people were killed in those accidents during that period.