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Railroad Accidents

Obtaining Compensation for Victims of New Jersey Railroad Accidents

Protecting NJ commuters

The New Jersey transit system and the various train companies that serve the Northeast corridor provide reliable and generally safe transportation to residents of the region. However, poor track maintenance, inadequately trained conductors, dilapidated platforms and stations and unrestrained crime can cause serious injuries to passengers.

Gelman Gelman Wiskow & McCarthy LLC was established in 1950 to help injured people recover the compensation they need and deserve. Our team focuses on our dual goal of maximizing your damages award and doing so as quickly as possible so that you receive your money sooner. When we cannot reach a settlement, we litigate aggressively on your behalf.

Complex claims involving railroad accidents

When an automobile hits a stationary object, the occupants continue moving at the rate of speed the car was travelling. The same concept applies in a train accident, except passengers do not have the benefit of seat belts and airbags to prevent severe injuries when:

  • The train brakes suddenly
  • The train derails
  • The train hits an obstruction on the tracks
  • An object in a luggage rack falls

Because many trains are not equipped with the same safety accessories as cars and trucks, such as seat belts or airbags, victims of train crashes often find themselves suffering much more severe injuries. The lawyers of Gelman Gelman Wiskow & McCarthy LLC have successfully obtained compensation for injury victims involved in train accidents and collisions.

Injuries on railroad stations and platforms

The New Jersey municipalities and train companies are responsible for maintaining safe conditions on their platforms and in their stations and to implement measures that prevent passengers from:

  • Being pushed or falling onto the tracks
  • Tumbling down broken stairs
  • Tripping over uneven walkways
  • Being a victim of an attack while in dimly lit, unpatrolled area
  • Being hit by an approaching train at a station that lacks functioning warning bells and crossing gates

It is also the responsibility of those municipalities to provide sufficient warnings about potentially hazardous station and platform conditions. With more than 65 years of experience, our firm is equipped to handle complex cases of municipal negligence.

Suing NJ TRANSIT and regional train systems

Train accident claims involve multi-faceted issues of law. Several government agencies and private corporations may be named as parties in a lawsuit. Our law firm immediately takes the required steps to sue federal, state and local governments — including NJ TRANSIT — and we aggressively pursue the insurance companies of the corporate policyholders.

Our personal injury lawyers conduct a thorough investigation of your accident, keeping much of the preparation in-house to save costs and expedite the settlement or trial. However, we have access to professionals who we consult about engineering, medical and transportation issues and who we call as expert witnesses at trial.

Consult us about pursuing compensation if you’ve been injured in a train accident

We care deeply about the people we serve. For more information about recovering damages for train accident injuries, call Gelman Gelman Wiskow & McCarthy LLC at 973 676-1555 or contact us online to schedule your one-hour free initial consultation. For your convenience, we have offices in East Orange Office, Elmwood Park Office, Pompton Plains, and Avon by the Sea, with Spanish-speaking translators available by request.

$800,000.00 settlement in less than nine (9) months!
In September of 2025, Phil Wiskow settled a legal malpractice case, resulting from a botched personal injury case, for $800,000.00. Most significantly, Mr. Wiskow settled the case less than nine (9) months after the client hired him. Since the client settled his botched case for over $200,000.00, the full amount of the client's recovery exceeded one million dollars.
Settled his 60 year old client’s motorcycle accident case for $1,700,000.00
In the Spring of 2017, Phil Wiskow settled his 60 year old client’s motorcycle accident case for $1,700,000.00. Frankly, the case would have settled for more money but the most culpable party only had a $300,000.00 liability insurance policy. The firm’s client, who was already disabled and receiving social security benefits at the time of his accident, sustained multiple lower leg fractures–which ultimately resulted in numerous surgeries and an above the knee amputation–when a delivery van blindly backed out of a loading dock and pinned his leg against his bike. The majority of the client’s settlement money was paid by the owner of a tractor-trailer and the lessee of the loading dock whose dangerous loading and unloading procedures blocked the van driver’s view of the motorcycle and the firm’s client’s view of the van.
VERDICTS & SETTLEMENTS
  • In the Spring of 2020, Phil Wiskow settled a motor vehicle/motorcycle accident case for the Defendant’s 1.3M policy limit. The terms of the settlement are confidential.
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    East Orange, New Jersey 07018
    Phone: 973 676-1555
    Fax: 973-675-5674
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    Phone: 973 676-1555
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