Train accidents may not be very common in Burlington County, but when they do happen, they typically cause serious personal injury and even death. Recently, a 26-year old Wrightstown man was walking on train tracks near Florence when he was hit by a light-rail train. He suffered severe personal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene approximately 30 minutes later.
No injuries were reported on-board the train, though service was halted for approximately two hours while the accident was investigated. Witnesses say the man may have been walking with someone else who was not on the tracks when the accident occurred. The investigation is ongoing.
The man’s death is the second fatality within the past two years to occur on the tracks near the Florence station. In the prior accident, a Mercer County man speaking on a cell phone was struck and killed when he apparently did not hear the train approaching. A flatbed truck was also hit in the week before the latest fatality, but no injuries were reported.
The family of the victim in this latest incident will surely want to know exactly what happened to their loved one. While the details surrounding the accident are a little sketchy, the man obviously suffered grievous personal injury. Several factors may have played into the cause of the accident, including whether or not the engineer was paying attention, if the horn was sounded to warn the man of the train’s approach, or whether reasonable steps were taken to prevent people from walking on or crossing the train tracks at non-designated locations. The victim’s family still has to cope with the death of their loved one, and they may wish to speak with someone in Burlington County about possible financial compensation for the loss of their family member while they await the completion of the investigation.
Source: phillyburbs.com, “Victim of train mishap identified,” David Levinsky, Dec. 15, 2011