A good teacher can inspire young minds to do great things. Here in Chicago there are many wonderful educators, but a recent incident reveals that one of those encouraging individuals lost his life in a terribly unfortunate way.
A fifth-grade teacher at Memorial School in Tinley Park was killed when he was hit by a Metra train in the Chicago suburb. Though details related to the deceased’s accident are sparse, the accident caused catastrophic injuries that led his untimely death and delayed train traffic in both directions through the community.
Every year people are injured and killed while commuting on public transportation. Here in Chicago and all across the country, pedestrians are hit by trains, vehicles are smashed by city buses and individuals suffer accidents on underground subway systems. The monetary and emotional toll of these accidents is great, and the students who attend the deceased teacher’s school may visit grief counselors on campus to cope with their sadness.
Pursuing legal claims against mass transit organizations can sometimes present different situations than when two or more private parties experience an accident on local roadways. Often when cities and municipalities are involved special considerations must be made to ensure that the lawsuit is properly managed.
Anyone who has suffered a personal injury as a result of the negligence or recklessness of a mass transit company may consider speaking with an attorney about his legal rights. In some cases, victims of transit accidents may be entitled to damages for their pain and suffering as well as their monetary losses for lost wages and medical bills incurred during their recovery.
Source: CBS Local, “Fifth-Grade Teacher Hit, Killed By Train In Tinley Park,” Nov. 15, 2013
