FELA Lawyer News Blog

ALMA CENTER, WI – There were no serious injuries after a train ran into a semi trailer truck Wednesday afternoon on April 14, 2010 in Jackson County, Wisconsin. The train-truck accident happened just east of the village of Alma Center where Highway 95 intersects with the railroad tracks. The accident area is in the far west central section of the state near the Minnesota border, 140 miles northwest of Madison, WI and 125 miles southeast of Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN.

At about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon 41 year old truck driver James Moore of Merrillan, WI was driving a semi truck, transporting a load for Countryside Hides. He had just left the business in Alma Center and was on Lea Bros. Road preparing to enter Highway 95. As Mr. Moore attempted to turn onto the highway he pulled onto the railroad tracks directly in the path of a Canadian National Railroad train.

The freight train was traveling between 25 to 30 MPH and slammed into the side of the semi trailer truck. After hitting the 18 wheeler, the train pushed the rig about 400 feet down the tracks before the train engineer was able to bring the train to a stop.

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Jackson County Emergency personnel and Black River Falls EMS responded to the scene of the truck accident. The truck driver was able to get out of his truck cab and was taken in a private vehicle to Black River Memorial Hospital in Black River Falls, about 12 miles away. His family later told authorities that he had been treated and released and was going to be fine.

The engineer of the freight train, 53 year old Michael Lieble of Auburndale, WI experienced chest pains after the truck accident. He was stabilized at the accident scene and then transported by ambulance to Black River Memorial Hospital. He was treated and later released.

The train locomotive stayed on the tracks and no cars were derailed during the truck accident.

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The truck accident caused significant damage to the semi trail truck and it appeared to have almost severed the cab from the rest of the trailer section, but no diesel fuel or other hazardous liquids leaked out of the truck. Some of the truck’s cargo was spilled at the scene after the impact of the collision and crews were brought in to clean the truck accident site.

It would take more than eight hours for workers to back the train up off the highway intersection and clear the wreckage of the truck accident. Officers closed the highway and rerouted vehicles to other roads in the area. The train was finally moved at around 9:00 p.m. Wednesday night, but the road remained closed for several more hours. The route was reopened early Thursday morning.

During the truck accident investigation the driver, Mr. Moore, told authorities that he never heard the train coming when he went over the tracks. He was cited for “Failure to Yield at a Railroad Crossing”.

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Gordon, Elias & Seely, LLP, are top nationwide FELA lawyers representing railroad workers injured on the job who need experienced attorneys knowledgeable in the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA). FELA is not workers compensation and it governs the employee’s right to recovery, governing the rights and remedies of railroad employees. For more information about FELA, WI FELA Law, and FELA rights, contact an experienced FELA lawyer through Gordon, Elias & Seely, L.L.P. For expert advice, call 800.773.6770.

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