Metrolink Officials Meet with California Senate

After the deadly train crash from last week, California state senators are looking into a federal law that will sets $200 million limit that can be paid out to victims of the Metrolink train crash.  This was enacted in 1997 and with 25 killed and more than a hundred injured, this crash may be the law’s first implementation.

Some attorneys are saying that a payout to a crash victim can range from $5 million to $10 million, so it is uncertain but that this $200 million may be surpassed.

California Senator, Barbara Boxer will be meeting with Metrolink officials along with other officials like those from the NTSB.  She will be discussing the topic of these lawsuit claim limits.  Boxer commented “We want to make sure that people can recover what they deserve.  Clearly, people have to have justice.”

Boxer will look into different options such as possibly waiving this limit or having Congress stepping in to make up the difference.

California Senator Dianne Feinstein questions the limit all together.  She stated through a spokesmam, “I strongly believe there should not be a liability cap that shields railroads from taking full responsibility for their actions.  I also believe the railroads should be encouraged to embrace collision avoidance systems so that serious accidents can be avoided.”

This cap has never been exceeded so courts will have to deal with the questions that have already arisen.  Some question why victims should have to incur costs that came as a result of something that was not their fault.  Others feel that that the law is “ironclad”

At this point there seems to be minimal concern from Congress to want to alter the limit in anyway.