Beginning at midnight tonight, Washington, D.C.’s Metrorail system will shut down for 24 hours amid concerns an electrical fire could break out, potentially endangering the lives of thousands of passengers. One such event occurred during the early morning commute on Monday, causing delays along three separate metro lines.
A similar event took place in January 2015, when an electric cable caught fire, sending smoke into metro cars on the Yellow line near L’Enfant Plaza. One person died in the event and over 80 more were hospitalized.
Metro officials announced it will inspect over 600 cables to ensure they are in proper working condition. The same cables were inspected following the L’Enfant Plaza smoke incident but after the latest electrical fire on Monday, officials refuse to take chances.
While the temporary Metro shutdown will surely cause frustration among area commuters, the prospect of another deadly smoke incident is not a viable alternative. As a law firm that represented plaintiffs in the deadly 2009 Fort Totten crash, The Cochran Firm, D.C. knows first hand the consequences that rail safety lapses can have on innocent victims.
Our attorneys are currently representing victims hurt by smoke inhilation in the L'Enfant Plaza incident in January 2015. The Cochran Firm, D.C. takes the safety of our community very seriously and are fully prepared to hold powerful entities responsible for their careless actions.
Although the decision to temporarily shut down Metrorail service during the middle of the week may not have been an easy decision, it was absolutely the right one. The attorneys of The Cochran Firm, D.C. are steadfastly committed to issues of public safety and social justice and applaud the fortitude of Metro officials to step up and do the right thing.
