Train Accident Lawyer

The Most Powerful Machines on Land. The Smallest Margin for Error.

A fully loaded freight train can weigh more than 10,000 tons and take over a mile to stop. At that scale, the rules are simple: follow safety protocols or people die.

But year after year, rail operators, maintenance crews and government agencies cut corners. And every time they do, families pay the price—with lives upended or lost entirely.

At Lucas Law Firm, our Kansas City-based train accident lawyers represent individuals and families who have suffered catastrophic injuries or wrongful death in rail-related incidents across the country. These are high-stakes cases. We investigate what failed, identify who’s responsible and prepare every case as if it’s going to trial.

What Causes Train Accidents?

Trains operate under strict safety regulations from the Federal Railroad Administration. But compliance on paper doesn’t prevent real-world disasters. Most serious rail accidents involve failures in:

• Crossing protections – broken gates, missing lights, or malfunctioning signals
• Track maintenance – warped rails, broken switches, or neglected inspections
• Operator behavior – fatigue, distraction, speed violations, or impairment
• Equipment failures – defective brakes, couplings, or alert systems
• Systemic oversight lapses – missed red flags or ignored reports of prior issues

An experienced Lucas Law Firm train accident lawyer partners with rail engineers, former regulators and data analysts to reconstruct what went wrong and build the case around it.

Every case we take on begins with evidence—not assumptions.

Types of Train Accident Cases We Handle

Lucas Law Firm represents clients in a wide range of catastrophic train-related cases, including:

• Railroad crossing collisions involving cars, trucks or pedestrians
• Train derailments, whether involving passengers or hazardous freight
• Pedestrian strikes in rail yards or along active tracks
• Onboard passenger injuries from high-speed braking or impacts
• Incidents involving hazardous materials, fire or toxic exposure
• FELA claims for railroad workers injured on the job
• Public transit or commuter train accidents tied to system failures

Whether you were injured in a small-town crossing crash or a multi-state derailment, our railroad accident lawyers have the resources, reputation, and legal strategy to lead the fight.

Train Crossing Accidents Are Not Inevitable

Among the most common—and preventable—causes of catastrophic rail injury are train crossing accidents. These collisions typically result from:

• Defective or missing gates, lights, or audible signals
• Obstructed sightlines due to vegetation, curves, or poor design
• Malfunctioning control boxes or warning systems
• Municipal failures to inspect or maintain crossings
• Train operators speeding or skipping scheduled stops

We investigate every railroad crossing accident for signs of negligence—malfunctioning signals, broken gates, obstructed views or unsafe crossing designs. In many cases, the dangers at these intersections aren’t new.

Our team digs into complaint records, inspection logs and prior incident reports to determine whether the railroad or local authorities failed to act on known risks.

Injuries and Wrongful Death from Train Accidents

Because of the sheer force involved, train accidents often result in catastrophic, lifelong injuries. Our cases have involved:

• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
• Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
• Amputations and crush injuries
• Severe burns or disfigurement
• Psychological trauma and PTSD
• Wrongful death

We work with medical economists, life care planners and grief experts to fully quantify our clients’ losses—not just what’s been taken already, but what they’ll continue to endure for the rest of their lives.

Who Can Be Held Liable in a Railroad Accident?

Train accident lawsuits often involve multiple parties—all of whom try to shift blame. We investigate and pursue every responsible entity, including:

• Railroad companies, such as Union Pacific, BNSF, or Amtrak
• Train engineers or operators who ignored safety protocols
• Signal or maintenance contractors who failed to repair critical systems
• State and municipal agencies responsible for crossings or infrastructure
• Manufacturers of defective brakes, tracks, or warning devices

A Lucas Law Firm train accident attorney understands federal preemption law, the FRA’s reporting requirements and how to uncover violations even when the paperwork looks clean.