Larry Yellen, Investigative Reporter for Fox News Chicago, interviewed Tim Cavanagh regarding Canadian National Railway's history of crossing collisions in the Chicago area. Cavanagh, a leader in railroad litigation in Illinois and around the country, has secured a $9.1 million settlement against the CN/IC and a $55 million verdict against the CN/IC in the last decade. The story and interview can be found at:
Canadian National Railway's Conduct Scrutinized in Railroad Crossing Collisions Resulting in Multi-Million Dollar Lawsuits
Cavanagh Appears on Fox News Chicago on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 9 p.m.
Chicago railroad lawyer, Tim Cavanagh, founding partner of Cavanagh Law Group, will appear on Fox News Chicago on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 9 p.m. Cavanagh will appear in a story by Fox Investigative Reporter Larry Yellen. Yellen is reporting on human error of CN/IC employees and systemic failures of CN/IC that resulted in Cavanagh's $9.1 million settlement in Ajmeri v. CN/IC and Cavanagh's $55 million verdict against CN/IC in Velarde v. CN/IC. The errors mirror the conduct that caused the Katie Lunn tragedy on April 16, 2010. Cavanagh discusses the fail safe procedures like "stop and flag," Positive Train Control and Collision Avoidance Systems that could have prevented Katie Lunn's death.
Video of Katie Lunn Crash Shows Canadian National Railroad Tracks Had Inoperable Gates and Lights
A video on the Amtrak train has confirmed witness statements that the gates and lights at the University Park crossing where Katie Lunn was killed on April 16, 2010 were not working. The Canadian National Railroad Company owned and maintained the tracks, gates and lights. The CN/IC had workers at the crossing hours before Katie was killed. The railroad has confirmed that workers deactivated the warning signals. At the time Katie drove over the crossing at 9:42 p.m., no signals were working that could warn her that an Amtrak train was approaching at 79 miles per hour.
Cavanagh Named A Top 100 Trial Lawyer in Illinois by American Trial Lawyers Association
Tim Cavanagh, the founding partner of Cavanagh Law Group, has been named one of the top 100 trial lawyers in Illinois by the American Trial Lawyers Association. Mr. Cavanagh has previously been named one of the top 500 personal injury lawyers in the country by Lawdragon.com. Among his record setting verdicts and settlements include two cases against the Canadian National Railroad Company arising from malfunctioning crossing gates and lights. In Ajmeri v. CC&PRR Co. and Canadian National Railroad Company, Mr. Cavanagh obtained a state record settlement of $9.1 million for Hanifa Ajmeri. In Velarde v. Canadian National Railroad Company, Mr. Cavanagh obtained a $55 million verdict that was recognized as one of the top verdicts in the country by the National Law Journal.
Canadian National Railroad Train/Car Crash Caused by Malfunctioning Gates and Lights
The deadly train/car crash involving Katie Lunn at a Canadian National Railroad crossing in University Park, Illinois on April 16, 2010 raises serious questions about the safety systems in place at the international railroad company. At 9:42 p.m., Katie's vehicle was struck by a Amtrak train on Stuenkel Road near Governors Highway. The crossing is controlled by gates and lights. Witnesses to the crash have told police that the gates and lights were not working at the time of the crash. Canadian National has confirmed that its workers were working at the crossing earlier that day. The railroad has not verified the witnesses version of whether the gates and lights were working.
Cavanagh Obtains $55 Million Train Crash Verdict Against Canadian National Railroad
On January 9, 2001, Fidel and Francisca Velarde were passengers of an SUV driven by their daughter, Lilia Apulello. The vehicle was crossing railroad tracks on Army Trail Road in Bloomingdale, Illinois. The owner and maintainer of the tracks, the Illinois Central Railroad Company d/b/a Canadian National/ Illinois Central Railroad Company (CNIC), knew for weeks that snow and road salt had caused the intersection's warning gates and lights to malfunction and was using a stop-and-flag procedure there until the signals were repaired. The train, consisting of three locomotives and 63 cars, proceeded through the intersection at 50 miles per hour. The SUV was struck and pushed 900 feet down the tracks. The Velardes suffered debilitating brain injuries. Television stations and newspaper reports offered conflicting accounts of whether the gates and lights were working properly.
