{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/56-131.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/56-131.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/56-131.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/56-131.html"}],"law_id":370073,"edition_id":2,"section_id":370073,"structure_id":52711,"section_number":"56-131","catch_line":"Accident Investigation and Reporting","history":"Code 1919, \u00a7 3737; 1996, cc. 114, 157.","full_text":"The Commission shall investigate the cause of any accident on any railroad which, in its judgment, requires investigation. The Commission shall require every common carrier by railroad doing business in this Commonwealth to file all reports required by the Federal Railroad Administration pursuant to the Federal Accidents Reports Act and regulations issued pursuant thereto to the Commission at its office in Richmond, Virginia, provided that neither such report nor any part thereof shall be admitted as evidence in any suit or action for damages growing out of any matter mentioned in such report.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1380552,"text":"The Commission shall investigate the cause of any accident on any railroad which, in its judgment, requires investigation. The Commission shall require every common carrier by railroad doing business in this Commonwealth to file all reports required by the Federal Railroad Administration pursuant to the Federal Accidents Reports Act and regulations issued pursuant thereto to the Commission at its office in Richmond, Virginia, provided that neither such report nor any part thereof shall be admitted as evidence in any suit or action for damages growing out of any matter mentioned in such report.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":52711,"edition_id":2,"name":"State Corporation Commission; Surety Bonds on Employees; Transportation of Explosives, Convicts and Insane Persons","identifier":"5","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":5,"parent_id":52706,"metadata":{"child_laws":11,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 03:03:27","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:35:37","permalink":{"id":1478261,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52711,"identifier":"5","token":"56\/6\/5","url":"\/56\/6\/5\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":52706,"edition_id":2,"name":"Transportation Companies Generally","identifier":"6","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":7,"parent_id":52702,"metadata":{"child_laws":28,"child_structures":5},"date_created":"2026-08-02 03:03:25","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:35:36","permalink":{"id":1478183,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52706,"identifier":"6","token":"56\/6","url":"\/56\/6\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":52702,"edition_id":2,"name":"Public Service Companies","identifier":"56","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":121,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":710,"child_structures":93},"date_created":"2026-08-02 03:03:25","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:35:34","permalink":{"id":1475475,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":52702,"identifier":"56","token":"56","url":"\/56\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":370068,"structure_id":52711,"section_number":"56-128","catch_line":"Commission's examination of all transportation companies, etc","url":"\/56-128\/","token":"56\/6\/5\/56-128","metadata":false},{"id":370070,"structure_id":52711,"section_number":"56-129","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/56-129\/","token":"56\/6\/5\/56-129","metadata":false},{"id":370069,"structure_id":52711,"section_number":"56-129.1","catch_line":"Participation in the Federal Railroad Administration Safety and Inspection Program","url":"\/56-129.1\/","token":"56\/6\/5\/56-129.1","metadata":false},{"id":370072,"structure_id":52711,"section_number":"56-130","catch_line":"Penalty for failure to make necessary repairs, etc","url":"\/56-130\/","token":"56\/6\/5\/56-130","metadata":false},{"id":370073,"structure_id":52711,"section_number":"56-131","catch_line":"Accident Investigation and Reporting","url":"\/56-131\/","token":"56\/6\/5\/56-131","metadata":false},{"id":370074,"structure_id":52711,"section_number":"56-132","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/56-132\/","token":"56\/6\/5\/56-132","metadata":false},{"id":370075,"structure_id":52711,"section_number":"56-133","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/56-133\/","token":"56\/6\/5\/56-133","metadata":false},{"id":370076,"structure_id":52711,"section_number":"56-136","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/56-136\/","token":"56\/6\/5\/56-136","metadata":false},{"id":370077,"structure_id":52711,"section_number":"56-139","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/56-139\/","token":"56\/6\/5\/56-139","metadata":false},{"id":370079,"structure_id":52711,"section_number":"56-140","catch_line":"Penalty for violation of chapter, orders, rules or regulations","url":"\/56-140\/","token":"56\/6\/5\/56-140","metadata":false},{"id":370080,"structure_id":52711,"section_number":"56-141","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/56-141\/","token":"56\/6\/5\/56-141","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":370072,"structure_id":52711,"section_number":"56-130","catch_line":"Penalty for failure to make necessary repairs, etc","url":"\/56-130\/","token":"56\/6\/5\/56-130","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":370074,"structure_id":52711,"section_number":"56-132","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/56-132\/","token":"56\/6\/5\/56-132","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/56-131\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 1 time. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. That modification is as follows: in 1996, chapters 114<\/a> and 157<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":1478279,"object_type":"law","relational_id":370073,"identifier":"56-131","token":"56\/6\/5\/56-131","url":"\/56-131\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/56-131\/","token":"56\/6\/5\/56-131","dublin_core":{"Title":"Accident Investigation and Reporting","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 56-131","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

The Commission<\/span> shall investigate the cause of any accident on any railroad<\/span> which, in its judgment<\/span>, requires investigation. The Commission<\/span> shall require every common carrier by railroad<\/span> doing business in this Commonwealth to file all reports required by the Federal Railroad<\/span> Administration pursuant to the Federal Accidents Reports Act and regulations issued pursuant thereto to the Commission<\/span> at its office in Richmond, Virginia, provided that neither such report nor any part thereof shall be admitted as evidence<\/span> in any suit or action for damages<\/span> growing out of any matter mentioned in such report.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nACCIDENT INVESTIGATION AND REPORTING (\u00a7 56-131)\n\nThe Commission shall investigate the cause of any accident on any railroad\nwhich, in its judgment, requires investigation. The Commission shall require\nevery common carrier by railroad doing business in this Commonwealth to file all\nreports required by the Federal Railroad Administration pursuant to the Federal\nAccidents Reports Act and regulations issued pursuant thereto to the Commission\nat its office in Richmond, Virginia, provided that neither such report nor any\npart thereof shall be admitted as evidence in any suit or action for damages\ngrowing out of any matter mentioned in such report.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1919, \u00a7 3737; 1996, cc. 114, 157.","edition":{"id":2,"name":"2026","slug":"2026","date_created":"2026-07-16 18:40:23","date_modified":"2026-08-02 15:14:36","current":1,"order_by":2,"last_import":"2026-08-02 12:37:30"}}