Veit v. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.

¶1 Alizon Veit brought suit against Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (BNSF) after a train collided with her car at a railroad crossing, resulting in serious injuries. She alleged, among other claims, that BNSF was negligent in exceeding internally imposed speed limits. The trial court granted partial summary judgment in favor of BNSF, holding that Veit’s common law excessive speed claim was preempted by federal law because the train was traveling below the federal speed limit at the time of the accident.

¶2 The case proceeded to trial, and the jury found that BNSF was not negligent.…