Two families have filed wrongful death lawsuits after a fatal train-van collision left three people dead. The lawsuit states that a railway company was to blame

Andrew Kim Law Firm, PLLC | Washington Legal News

Washington Families File Wrongful Death Lawsuit After Fatal Van Crash


Posted on Mar 27, 2011

After their loved ones were killed in a van-train collision in Kelso, two families have filed wrongful death lawsuits against their relative’s employer, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF). The two families believe that the train company violated safety standards put in place by the American Association of Railroads.

The fatal accident took place on March 23, 2011, when a BNSF van carrying four people was struck by an oncoming freight train carrying 106 train cars filled with grain. The van was crushed, carried 50 feet down the tracks, and then rolled down 25-foot embankment before coming to rest.

Killed in the crash were 60-year-old van driver Steven Sebastian of Castle Rock, 58-year-old train engineer Tom Kenny of Seattle, and 28-year-old conductor trainee Chirstopher Loehr of Seattle. A fourth passenger, 52-year-old Dwight Leonard Hauck of Auburn, remains in critical condition at a nearby hospital. The families of Kenny and Loehr have filed the wrongful death lawsuit.

An initial investigation has found that the van was crossing on a private road that did not have flashing railroad crossing lights or safety arms. Instead, the track and road intersection had railroad crossing signs and a stop sign. It is unclear whether or not the driver of the van saw the oncoming train. Currently authorities are looking into on-train cameras and breaking data in order to paint a clearer picture of what went wrong in the seconds before the collision.

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Bellevue
10655 NE 4th Street
Suite 208
Bellevue, WA 98004
Phone: (425) 289-1990
Fax: (425) 289-1991
Toll Free: (800) 636-3676

Tacoma
3848 S. Junett
Tacoma, WA 98409
Phone: (253) 682-2000
Toll Free: (800) 636-3676

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