There have been other HS rail incidents, thankfully not many, the ICE one in 2008 resulted in several injuries when it hit a flock of sheep at 120 mph in a tunnel on the way from Hamburg to Munich.
The issue here is that airlines have to spend far more on safety procedures and equipment than HS rail, and maybe its time to look at HS rail to bring it more in line - especially with the advent of the new Chinese Maglev trains. Free and fair competition also requires balanced safety legislation.