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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>370073</law_id><section_number>56-131</section_number><catch_line>Accident Investigation and Reporting</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2026/" slug="2026" current="TRUE" last_updated="2026-08-02">2026</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="121" identifier="56">Public Service Companies</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="7" identifier="6">Transportation Companies Generally</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="5" identifier="5">State Corporation Commission; Surety Bonds on Employees; Transportation of Explosives, Convicts and Insane Persons</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>The <span class="dictionary">Commission</span> shall investigate the cause of any accident on any <span class="dictionary">railroad</span> which, in its <span class="dictionary">judgment</span>, requires investigation. The <span class="dictionary">Commission</span> shall require every common carrier by <span class="dictionary">railroad</span> doing business in this Commonwealth to file all reports required by the Federal <span class="dictionary">Railroad</span> Administration pursuant to the Federal Accidents Reports Act and regulations issued pursuant thereto to the <span class="dictionary">Commission</span> at its office in Richmond, Virginia, provided that neither such report nor any part thereof shall be admitted as <span class="dictionary">evidence</span> in any suit or action for <span class="dictionary">damages</span> growing out of any matter mentioned in such report.</p></section></text><history>Code 1919, &#xA7; 3737; 1996, cc. 114, 157.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
