Vehicles of all types, including cars, buses and trains, are relied upon by residents of the Pittsburgh area for transportation each day. While the existence and use of these vehicles undeniably makes the lives of those who use them easier, there are downsides as well. All of these vehicles could potentially be involved in an injury inducing crash. This is illustrated in a recent accident involving a Port Authority light-rail vehicle.

Firefighters were called to the scene when the vehicle derailed in downtown Pittsburgh, somewhere in the tunnel between the stations for Wood Street and Gateway. The derailment caused several individuals to be injured including a man who complained of a hurt ankle and woman apparently suffering from chest pains. Neither of those individuals accepted a ride to the hospital. Both reportedly indicated they would get there on their own.

Another man was more seriously hurt and was transported to UPMC Mercy by an ambulance. He reportedly was dealing with injuries to either his neck or back. The extent of his injuries and his prognosis are not currently known.

The incident occurred in the evening, around 9:00 p.m. Had it occurred earlier in the day, during one of the rush hours, the number of injured individuals could have been much worse. Fortunately, the greatest fallout appears to be the fact that the Wood Street station was closed and buses needed to be used to transport riders from that station to another where they could again get on a train.

When an accident such as this one is due to negligent actions on the part of anyone connected with the Port Authority it is possible that the transportation provider could find itself on the defense in a court of law.

Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "Two injured when subway car derails Downtown," Michael Hasch, Nov. 9, 2012