Lawyers Call For Lessons To Be Learned From Incident

By Rob Dixon

Serious injury experts have urged that major safety lessons must be learned from a crash at a level crossing in Herefordshire in 2010 which led to the death of a woman, after Network Rail and an employee were found guilty in relation to the incident.
 
The company and signalman Adrian Maund are due to be sentenced in April following the verdict at Birmingham Crown Court, which related to an incident at Moreton-on-Lugg when a train collided with a car. Jane Harding, who was travelling in the car, died in the incident.
 
During the hearing, it was revealed that Mr Maund lifted the barriers after being called in relation to another crossing further along the track.
 
However, it was also highlighted that Network Rail was liable after it failed to fit an automatic locking device at the crossing while carrying out work there in 2009.
 
Irwin Mitchell has vast experience representing victims seriously injured in rail accidents in the UK, as well as the families of those killed in such incidents.
 
David Urpeth, a Partner and specialist in such work at the national law firm, said: “Through our work we have seen numerous occasions when simple safety failings have had catastrophic consequences which have gone on to have a huge effect on victims and families.
 
“It is absolutely vital that lessons can be learned from the terrible problems seen in this case which will ensure the circumstances which led to this crash are not repeated.
 
“Unfortunately, level crossing safety is something which is often in the spotlight and we would urge the industry to do everything it can to improve safety. As this case demonstrates, the importance of improvements in this area simply cannot be underestimated.”

Read more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise relating to Rail Accident Claims