Train Accidents

A passenger injured in the crash of a Yellow Line train a year ago spoke to WLS-TV’s Chuck Goudie about the horrific crash of a CTA train into a snow plow equipment. Clifford Law Offices filed complaints on behalf of several passengers injured when it struck a standing snow plow on the tracks in Rogers Park that left dozens injured. Joseph T. Murphy, partner at Clifford Law Offices, spoke to Goudie about the avoidable crash…

CHICAGO, IL (November 2024) – Clifford Law Offices is ranked in the 2025 edition of Best Law Firms®, nationally in four practice areas and regionally in 10 practice areas. Clifford Law Offices received the following rankings in the 2025 Best Law Firms: National Tier 1 Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs Railroad Law Transportation Law National Tier 3 Commercial Litigation Regional Tier 1: Chicago Aviation Law Commercial Litigation Mass Tort Litigation/ Class Actions…

Joseph T. Murphy, partner at Clifford Law Offices who represents six people who were injured in the November 2023 CTA crash, said his clients are disturbed to find out that the train operator had alcohol in his system while operating the train. “We are disturbed that the CTA did not release this critical information to the public the moment they knew that one of their conductors had alcohol in his system,” Murphy said. “You can’t…

Clifford Law Offices filed a lawsuit on September 18, 2024, against Union Pacific Railroad Company, Metra Railroad, and the Village of Barrington in the death of a 17-year-old girl who was struck and killed by a train at a Barrington, Illinois railroad crossing without pedestrian gates. James Pullos, Kristofer Riddle, and Joseph Murphy, partners at Clifford Law Offices, filed the case on behalf of the family of Marin Lacson in the January 25, 2024, death…

The Chicago CTA announced that the Yellow Line is opening Friday, January 5, 2024, for service following the November 16 crash of a speeding train into equipment on the track. Clifford Law Offices has filed lawsuits against the CTA on behalf of six of the dozens injured. “Clifford Law Offices is conducting its own investigation to figure out exactly what happened regarding the Yellow Line crash in November. The NTSB concluded that the conductor was…

On November 17, 2023, Clifford Law Offices filed a second lawsuit against the Chicago Transportation Authority (CTA) in the crash of a commuter train that occurred on the Yellow Line the morning of Thursday, November 16. Joseph T. Murphy, partner at Clifford Law Offices, filed the case on behalf of Matt Jones, 67, an architect from Skokie, who was taken by ambulance to a local hospital following the crash that injured 37 others, some critically….

Clifford Law Offices filed the first lawsuit against the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) in the crash of a commuter train on the Yellow Line that occurred on the morning of November 16, 2023. Joseph T. Murphy, partner at Clifford Law Offices, filed the case on behalf of Cleon Hawkins, 52, of Chicago, who was taken by ambulance to a local hospital following the crash that reportedly injured 37 others, some critically. “This type of crash…

In a report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), federal investigators identified multiple preventable factors that contributed to the derailment of an Amtrak passenger train near Joplin, MT on September 25, 2021. Investigators say the incident, which killed three people and seriously injured dozens, was caused by poor track conditions at the accident site. According to the report, the tracks, owned by BNSF, showed worn rail, vertical track deflection, instability, and track misalignment. The…

Hundreds of residents were evacuated from East Palestine, Ohio following the fiery derailment and crash of a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials on February 3, 2023. The 100-car freight train that derailed February 3 was carrying hazardous materials including vinyl chloride, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate, isobutylene and butyl acrylate, the US Environmental Protection Agency told CNN. Michael Graham, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, told AP News that 14…