Aircraft-type crash injury investigation of a commuter train collision

Until recently, the investigation of crash injuries and their causes in railroad crashes has been relatively nonexistent. Now, however, with the trend toward a more balanced transportation system, the number of railroad passengers is increasing and there is a concurrent demand for new, rebuilt, or refurbished passenger cars. Most railroad passenger cars in service today appear to have been designed primarily for longevity and easy servicing with secondary emphasis on passenger comfort and little emphasis on passenger safety. It is unlikely that these priorities will be reversed unless crash injury investigations can demonstrate a specific need for improvements in crashworthiness. In line with this objective, techniques developed in aircraft crash investigations were used to collect and evaluate crash injury and escape data from the collision of two commuter trains.