New York State Senator Diane Savino recently created a report that brought to light the issues with the Staten Island train system that many riders have been concerned about for a long time. While there were plenty of complaints about where the rail system does not run, concerns about each railway station were also voiced. People are concerned about the unsafe conditions at the Staten Island train stations and it is something the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) needs to address.
With train accident lawsuits on the rise, it's important to have the necessary information you need to stay safe in train stations.
A report released by Senator Savino goes through every Staten Island train station and outlines the issues that each station faces. Some of the unsafe conditions include:
Riders complain about the pervasive urine odors that are found in most of the Staten Island railway stations, and many riders indicate that the stations are simply not healthy places to be. The trains themselves are also said to be very unclean, have a stench that is unhealthy and are too old to be safe anymore.
When you talk at length to the people who ride the Staten Island railway system, you get the impression that this rail system is unsafe and unhealthy from the moment the rider walks into the railway station at their point of origin, to the time when they reach their destination. When those destinations lack proper lighting and have no parking lots to make it safe to pick up and drop off riders, then you get a system that has a long way to go to be truly safe for the public.
The fact that 4.4 million people ride the Staten Island rail system every year highlights the severity of the problem at each railway station. In Senator Savino's report, she indicates that the unsafe conditions at the railway stations were the top priority for riders. While the MTA may be slow to react, the conditions at each station are not going to improve on their own.
According to SecondAvenueSagas.com, the sticking point to repairing the railway stations will be money. The people of Staten Island want their stations to be safer, but the renovations and repairs will cost money. The MTA has a long list of projects it needs to consider throughout New York City, and many of those projects could take money away from the Staten Island train stations for now.
So, what are riders supposed to do about their own safety while the finances of the railway station repairs get hammered out?
If you walk along a MTA platform in Staten Island and slip in a puddle of liquid and fall, the MTA is more than likely not going to be liable for your injuries. However, if you trip in a hole in a platform, then the MTA could be liable because they are responsible for the upkeep of their railway stations.
The question of what Staten Island railway riders are supposed to do while the MTA schedules repairs to deteriorating rail stations is not an easy one. Of course, the MTA is not liable if you get sick because you had to stand out in the rain to catch a train. But what if faulty lighting and a lack of security lead to you getting attacked one night at a station? Is the MTA liable? Should the MTA have taken action to prevent what happened to you? The answer to these questions is yes, the MTA is responsible for such matters.
If you find yourself in a harmful situation due to the conditions at the Staten Island railway stations, then you could have a personal injury case. In such dilapidated train stations, the possibility of falls happening are so high, and the injuries that can come out of this can greatly hamper your quality of life. If falls happen due to the conditions of these train stations, seek both legal and medical help.
To read more about accident-related cases, check out our next blog: https://banvillelaw.com/high-low-settlement/