Fatality at Hebbronville, Texas Railroad Crossing Leads to Suit

On behalf of the surviving children of a 48-year-old Texas woman, The Ammons Law Firm has filed a lawsuit against the Kansas City Southern Railway Company. The woman’s vehicle was struck on the driver’s side by a KCS train as she attempted to cross the tracks at a dangerous crossing in Jim Hogg County. The locomotive pushed the vehicle several blocks after the impact, and the driver died at the scene. Little was left of her car.

Ammons claims in the lawsuit that the crossing was extra-hazardous and dangerous because it was not protected by any active warning devices and had no cross arms or warning lights, despite motorists having an obstructed view while approaching the tracks. Allegations in the lawsuit include the railroad’s negligent failure to maintain the crossing with proper safety devices and warnings as well as the crew’s negligent operation of the train through inattention, failure to keep a proper lookout and failure to reduce speed on approaching the dangerous crossing.

“This tragic railroad crossing accident, which is far from the first in the area, has led to the passing of a resolution seeking a slower speed limit for trains traveling through Jim Hogg County and also for the installation of warning devices. There is no reason for heavily used crossings like this one to be so dangerous and unprotected, and it is completely unacceptable that train crews are speeding through them with little or no regard for the safety of motorists,” says Ammons.

Rob Ammons is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, in addition to being Board Certified in Civil Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Rob Ammons’ law practice, The Ammons Law Firm, is located in Houston, Texas.

The Ammons Law Firm’s practice is exclusively personal injury law, handling such cases as tire defects, oil rig explosions, truck accidents, plant explosions, refinery accidents, wrongful death, post-collision fires, seat belt defects, airbag defects, SUV rollovers, and workplace negligence.