James Romansoff, 58, of Yonkers was killed while working on the elevated Metro-North tracks on Park Avenue near 106th Street in Manhattan. The lawyers from Block O’Toole & Murphy covered this tragedy yesterday with a promise to follow-up as the investigation unfolds. Now, new information is emerging that a recently implemented safety system was supposed to be in place that would have prevented this fatal collision. Except, Metro-North seems to have apparently failed to follow protocol and now the family and friends of a hard-working man are left with a series of unsettling and troubling questions about why their loved one was killed.
The safety measure was implemented by Metro-North after a track foreman was killed last May. In that particular mishap, a dispatcher sent a train into a work zone while work was still ongoing. This critical mistake took the life of Robert Luden. Thereafter, Metro-North vowed to instill a system that would avoid any train traffic in an ongoing work area. This also comes on the heels of December’s tragic train derailment where four people were killed and countless others seriously injured. The safety measures in place that could have prevented James Romansoff’s death were pretty simple. If Metro-North adhered to their own protocol, a supervisor overseeing the track project that Romansoff was working on should have provided a specific code alerting the dispatcher that all workers were off the tracks and free from danger. Then and only then is the dispatcher supposed to permit the train to enter the tracks. While the investigation is still ongoing, and further facts need to be gathered, it Is apparent there was an obvious failure to protect Mr. Romansoff. The train operator entered the area where Romansoff was working and mowed him down.
Metro-North continues to eclipse all transportation agencies around the country in the catastrophic mistake department. When will it stop? It is quite fair for commuters to be very concerned about their own safety as they watch one tragedy after another unfold, all seemingly because of this incompetent agency. Again, our thoughts and prayers are with the Romansoff family and their loved ones. This is a senseless loss of life.
Block O’Toole & Murphy is a law firm that prides itself on fighting for seriously injured victims. This team of experienced lawyers has amassed more than $700,000,000 in verdicts and settlements for their clients, including a $3,925,000 settlement for a train accident victim. To learn more about Block O’Toole & Murphy, please see the firm website at www.blockotoole.com. For a free consultation, you can call them at 212-736-5300.
Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/safety-system-didn-save-metro-north-worker-article-1.1718420