FELA Lawyer News Blog

PLANADA, CA – A 23 year old man was struck and killed by an Amtrak passenger train on June 6, 2011 while crossing the tracks in the small town of Planada, CA.

Planada is located in Merced County, California in the central part of the state, about 10 miles east of Merced.

The accident occurred on Monday evening around 6:30 p.m. in the middle of town near the intersection of Santa Fe Drive and Childs Avenue. Apparently the victim was chasing after his dog when the accident occurred.

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According to the Merced County Sheriff’s Office, the victim was identified as 23 year-old Steven Miller, from Trinity County. He was staying in Planada at the time.

The Amtrak train was heading toward Oakland, CA out of Bakersfield, CA. After the accident, the train stopped and was delayed for about 3 hours before continuing onto its destination in Oakland.

According to reports, there were no injuries to any railroad workers and none of the passengers of the train were injured either. Also, there was no train derailment and no hazardous materials were involved, either.

The tracks are owned by the BNSF railroad company (Burlington Northern Santa Fe).

Just a couple of weeks ago, another man was killed by an Amtrak train in Planada while crossing the tracks in his Dodge Ram pickup truck. Residents are justifiably concerned over the rash of recent fatalities and are seeking solutions. It is necessary for pedestrians and traffic to cross the tracks to get to and from essential services in the small town.

An article in the Merced Sun-Star website reports:

Most services in Planada, including the post office, a Golden Valley Health clinic, a public park, churches and an alternative high school, are on one side of town. That requires many Planada residents to walk across the tracks if they don’t have vehicle transportation.

A man was killed May 29 after his truck was hit by a train near Arboleda Drive and Plainsburg Road.

Another man was struck by a train near Highway 140 in 2008, between Arboleda Drive and Plainsburg Road. The man lost an arm.

Clearly, this small town has received more than its share of train accidents and the town’s residents are growing more concerned.

According to the article, within any given 24-hour period, about 37 trains pass through Planada. That’s a lot of train traffic.

Although the safety issues are the responsibility of BNSF, the county is open to work with the railroad company on solutions.

Published by FELA lawyer news blog at Gordon &amp Elias, LLP.

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