Personal Injury Lawyers in New York

Six members of a Michigan family have filed the first lawsuit over the November 30, 2007 train crash that injured 60 people on the South Side of Chicago.

John Hamstra Sr., 63, of Grandville, Mich., was riding with his wife, daughter-in-law and three young grandchildren when the Amtrak train hit a parked freight train, the lawsuit said. Hamstra suffered a head injury and broken shoulder but was released from the hospital and returned home, his attorney, Thomas Prindable of Chicago, said Monday.

"He was just standing up to get something" when the crash occurred, Prindable said. "He was thrown forward and knocked unconscious. They had no warning. They couldn't really feel the emergency brakes being applied."

The other five family members, who were treated at local hospitals for minor injuries, have also returned home, Prindable said.

The lawsuit alleged that Amtrak and Norfolk Southern Railway Co. caused the crash due to poor communication, excessive train speed or other negligence.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a train accident in New York, please contact the train accident attorneys at Silberstein Awad & Miklos today to schedule your initial consultation.