Good Samaritan Files Suit For Injuries Sustained In LIRR Collision At Railroad Crossing
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
On February 23, 2009, Courtney Young did something that society refers to as heroic – he risked his life to help another human being. Mr. Young raced to the rescue of a tractor-trailer driver that was stuck on a railroad crossing in Queens. The tractor trailer driver escaped without injury; while Courtney Young’s life will never be the same.
Surjit Singh, was backing up his tractor trailer at a railroad crossing in Long Island City. Singh was angling his truck towards a loading dock on the south side of the grade crossing when the truck became stuck on the railroad tracks at the crossing. Mr. Young was working as a mechanic at a company located next to the crossing and saw the incident unfolding. As the tractor trailer remained on the crossing, the crossing gates came down on top of the truck as a Long Island Rail Road locomotive was approaching. Mr. Young courageously ran to rescue the driver. Unfortunately, the locomotive smashed into the tractor trailer and caused it to flip on top of Mr. Young, dragging him almost 70 feet. Mr. Young’s co-workers all thought he had been killed. The New York City Fire Department, however, was able to dig a trench and FREE Mr. Young. He was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital with several life threatening injuries, including fractures to his pelvis, arm and shoulder. Mr. Young remained hospitalized for two months, was in a coma for weeks and underwent multiple surgeries. Mr. Young now faces enormous obstacles, including several additional surgeries and a lifetime of medical care.
Today, May 12, 2009, Courtney Young’s attorneys, Block O’Toole & Murphy, LLP, have filed a lawsuit in Queens County Supreme Court over the tragic accident, seeking to hold the truck driver and Long Island Rail Road responsible. Stephen J. Murphy, a trial attorney at the catastrophic personal injury and construction accident law firm Block O’Toole & Murphy, marvels at what Courtney Young did, “this is a man that stared death in the face to help a complete stranger. To me, his actions define the word courage.”
Witnesses have indicated that the LIRR locomotive was traveling at an excessive speed for the area and that if the locomotive engineer had been paying attention he would have applied the brakes in time to avoid the collision.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, highway-rail grade crossing accidents result in 300-400 deaths and more than 1,100 injuries on average per year. If you or anyone you know has been injured in a railroad crossing accident, or due to the negligence of a tractor trailer or the LIRR, the trial attorneys at Block O’Toole & Murphy are available to assist you and protect your rights.
Block O’Toole & Murphy is one of the premier catastrophic personal injury and construction accident law firms in New York City. Our experienced team of New York trial lawyers are devoted to truly caring for and fighting for the rights of our clients.