On Tuesday, March 7, 2017, a bus filled with passengers collided with a train in Mississippi. Roughly 50 people from Texas were headed to a casino before going to New Orleans. The bus was pushed 300 feet down the track as the train was coming to a stop, four people died as a result. The bus stopped on the tracks as the 52 car train was pushed through the bus.
There have been several incidents along the tracks over past years. According to the NY Times, two months ago, a Pepsi delivery truck driver had to jump out of the vehicle once he realized he was stuck on the tracks. In addition, three years ago, a tractor-trailer that was stuck on the tracks was hit which resulted in an injured passenger on the train.
The first lawsuit was filed a d
ay after the collision on behalf of Peggy Hoffman, Hoffman died the day of the crash. The lawsuit claims that Hoffman died because of the crossing, the bus driver, and “the actions of the engineer and conductor.”
The second lawsuit was filed in Dallas County on behalf of several bus passengers. The suit was filed against the train company, CSX Transportation, and the bus company, Echo Transportation.
A third lawsuit was filed two days after the crash. The family of Ken Hoffman, one of the four passengers that died the day of the crash, filed a lawsuit to hold several parties accountable for the tragedy.
For more information, follow the links below:
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/07/us/biloxi-mississippi-train-bus-crash.html?_r=0