Metro officials are bracing for tens of millions of dollars in lawsuits likely to be filed against the cash-strapped transit system by those injured in Monday's crash and the families of the deceased.
Nobody yet knows who - if anyone - is at fault in the train wreck. But injury lawyers and Metro officials say the lawsuits against the agency are a sure thing.
The Metro train wreck on Washington DC’s Red Line occurred Monday afternoon. The NTSB accident investigators are barely on-scene, there is no firm indication of a cause, and lawsuits are already being prepared. What really offends, however is this:
The litigation likely will come not only from the more than 70 injured and the families of the nine dead in the train pileup, but also from many of the other passengers on the subway cars who were frightened or otherwise traumatized."
Lawsuits from passengers who “were frightned or ... traumatized.” Trying to make a quick buck at my expense is more like the truth.
Andrew Bederman, a prominent local plaintiff's lawyer with offices in Silver Spring, said he anticipates many of his colleagues are out trying to round up clients among the crash victims .... He said he had already taken on two clients with less-severe injuries from the crash (emphasis added).
It is illegal in the District for lawyers to solicit clients by such means as tracking down accident victims or trolling emergency rooms. However, Mr. Bederman said lawyers can pay to have their firms prominently displayed on Google when keywords like "train" or "crash" are searched.
Two words: tort reform.
Oh, hell. Add one more word: disgusting.
