WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- The Washington Metro and three manufacturing companies say they will stipulate they are legally responsible for a deadly train crash in 2009.
In documents filed in U.S. District Court Monday, the Metro, Alstom Signaling, Ansaldo STS USA and ARINC say they hope to avoid "significant risks and costs" with the stipulation of liability, the Washington Examiner reported.
Nine people were killed on June 22, 2009, when a moving train rear-ended another train halted at the Fort Totten station in northeastern Washington. Patrick Regan, a plaintiff's lawyer, said wrongful death lawsuits involving seven of the victims have been settled out of court as well as several suits involving people who were injured.
Four cases are scheduled to go to trial soon. Ana Fernandez and LaVonda "Nikki" King, who were both killed in the crash, left behind a total of eight children, which means any settlement or jury judgment is likely to be large.
Metro is spending about $1 billion upgrading its safety systems. Since the crash, many procedures that used to be done automatically are being operated manually.
