Chicago Train Accident Attorneys

train in chicago, illinois

Each day, hundreds of thousands of riders rely on the Windy City’s network of municipal and regional commuter trains — Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra, and Amtrak — to move between Chicago’s residential neighborhoods, the Loop, and the Collar Counties. 

More lines of rail radiate in more directions from Chicago than from any other city in the United States. We serve as the hub that connects the East to the West, and remain the distribution center for the majority of the agricultural products and manufactured goods produced in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions. 

Unfortunately, all this train traffic does not flow without incident. Each year, a number of Chicago residents are seriously injured in train accidents.

Over the past few decades, the Stein & Shulman team has helped countless train accident victims in the Chicago area seek compensation for the injuries they suffered. Our experienced team of attorneys has recovered millions of dollars for accident victims in the Chicago area. 

What Type Of Railroad Accident Cases Do We Take? 

The Stein & Shulman team assists Chicago area residents who have been injured in all sorts of train and railroad accidents. 

  • Derailments 
  • Car/Train collisions 
  • Accidents caused by poor maintenance or faulty equipment 
  • Accidents caused by poorly trained or negligent operators 
  • Slip and Fall accidents on railroad property 
  • Injuries caused by other passengers 

No matter what caused your injury, we are here to help you hold the responsible parties accountable. 

Railroads Are Common Carriers 

Because of their size and speed, and the number of people involved, train accidents are often quite serious. Recognizing this, Illinois policymakers have named railroads common carriers. Under Illinois law, common carriers must operate as safely as possible. A failure to meet this heightened duty of care is considered negligence.

Because they are common carriers, railroads have a duty to protect passengers from injury while boarding, riding, and exiting their trains. They must also protect passengers from injuries caused by employees and other passengers or third parties. If a carrier is aware that a passenger is at greater risk of injury because he or she is disabled, sick, intoxicated, or a child traveling alone, the carrier must take even greater care than normal. 

The experienced attorneys at Stein & Shulman have handled many cases in Chicago involving common carriers. While it may sound like it should be easy to hold them accountable thanks to the heightened duty of care they must provide, it is often challenging to do so because carrier owners and operators often try to hide behind their corporate structures or their quasi-public status. We know what it takes to get them to the negotiating table, or bring them to court. 

Helping People Injured On Transit Property

The heightened responsibility railroads have to protect passengers who are boarding or exiting their trains extends to passengers who are entering, exiting, or waiting around on railroad property. 

When a passenger slips and falls on a greasy platform, or trips over uneven flooring in the waiting area, the railroad can and should be held accountable. 

Car/Train Collisions 

Far too many people in the Chicago area are injured each year when a train strikes their car. Sometimes it is the car driver’s fault for not obeying traffic safety laws, but often the accident is the result of poor maintenance or shoddy craftsmanship by the railroad. Stein & Shulman has worked on several cases where people in cars were seriously injured because the railroad failed to maintain the signals and gates at a crossing. 

We Do Not Get Paid Unless Our Clients Do

If you or a loved one in Chicago has been injured in an accident on or involving a train, or on railroad property, the Stein & Shulman team is here to help. Our experienced team of attorneys has over five decades of combined experience holding railroad operators and equipment manufacturers accountable for their negligent behavior. 

One of the first things we do when we take on a train injury case is gather evidence of exactly what caused your injury. We must be able to clearly link your injury to actions — or a lack of action — by the defendant. 

Most accidents involving trains, and even things like unsafe conditions inside a station, are quickly cleaned up and repaired so other passengers are kept safe and travel is not disrupted. This means the Stein & Shulman team is often digging into maintenance records, interviewing railroad employees, and combing through hours of security video footage to figure out what happened. We may also hire an accident reconstruction expert to assist us. 

Once we have evidence of what happened, we turn our attention toward gathering information about how much harm the accident caused. This means looking at your medical records, calculating how much money you have lost from not being able to work, and otherwise estimating the full amount of damages it is appropriate to ask the defendant to pay. 

How much money you can expect to receive as a result of your injury depends on how seriously you have been hurt. Generally, the worse you have been injured, the more money you can expect the defendant to pay. 

All of this takes a lot of time and effort, but you will not pay for any of it upfront. Stein & Shulman takes Chicago train accident cases on a contingency fee basis. This means we do not get paid unless we win your case. Our fee will always be just a portion of what we recover on your behalf. We understand that this may be the first time you have been involved in a personal injury case, so if you have questions about how contingency fees work, we are here to answer them. 

Contact Our Chicago Law Firm Today to Discuss Your Train Accident Injury

If you or a loved one in Chicago has been involved in a train accident and suffered a serious injury, the Stein & Shulman team is here to help. Our experienced personal injury attorneys have secured millions of dollars for personal injury victims in the Chicagoland area. 

You can count on us to honestly evaluate your potential claim, and give you the advice and support you need as you decide whether to file an insurance claim or a personal injury lawsuit. Please contact us today to schedule a free initial consultation.

The law office of Stein & Shulman routinely represents victims in Chicago, Cook CountyLake CountyDuPage CountyWill County, McHenry County, and Kane County.