The only survivor of a deadly collision between two trains in Carson County this summer has filed a lawsuit against Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF).
Derek Schilling filed the lawsuit in a Tarrant County civil court last week. He is seeking more than $1 million in damages.
The two trains collided on a stretch of railway near Panhandle on the morning of June 28, 2016.
The collision killed three BNSF employees. Schilling was the only survivor of the crash. He jumped from the train he was on before the collision.
According the preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board, “preliminary review of signal event recorder data and tests of the signal system indicate the last signal the eastbound train passed before the collision was a stop (red) signal. The previous signal the eastbound train passed was an approach (yellow) signal. [1] A preliminary review of locomotive event recorder data revealed that the eastbound train was traveling about 62 mph when it went by the approach signal at the west end of the Panhandle siding and about 65 mph when it went by the stop signal at the east end of the Panhandle siding.”
Schilling’s lawsuit alleges the train that was traveling eastbound “disregarded at least two signals.” The lawsuit also states “Schilling has and will continue to suffer from significant medical and emotional damages.”
(Information from MyHighPlains.com)
