Railroad work is genuinely dangerous. Tracks, heavy equipment, moving trains, long shifts, and exposure to diesel fumes and toxic chemicals are all part of the job for many workers. When something goes wrong and a railroad employee gets hurt, the path to compensation looks nothing like what most workers in other industries experience. There is no state workers’ compensation system […]
Four Common Questions Railroad Workers Have About FELA
What to Do After a Railroad Yard Injury
Railroad yard work is demanding, physical, and genuinely dangerous. Switching and coupling accidents happen in seconds, and the injuries they cause, from broken bones to spinal trauma, can alter the course of your life. If you’ve been hurt on the job, the steps you take in the hours and days that follow matter more than most people realize. Your Rights […]
How Pre-Existing Injuries Are Treated in a FELA Claim
Railroad work is hard on the body. Years of heavy lifting, repetitive motion, exposure to vibration, and physical strain add up. Most railroad workers who file FELA claims have some history of prior injuries or conditions, and insurance adjusters know it. They’ll use that history against you if they can. But a pre-existing condition doesn’t mean you lose your case. […]
How Railroads Fight Back: Legal Tactics Injured Workers Face in FELA Claims
When a jury awards an injured railroad worker millions of dollars, that’s not always the end of the story. Not by a long shot. Railroads have deep pockets, experienced legal teams, and a well-practiced playbook for challenging verdicts they don’t like. One example involved Norfolk Southern’s defense attorneys seeking a new trial after a West Virginia jury awarded an injured […]
FELA Rights as an Injured Railroad Worker
Most workers who get hurt on the job think about workers’ compensation first. File a claim, get your medical bills covered, receive a portion of your lost wages, and move forward. It’s a no-fault system — straightforward, if limited. Railroad workers don’t have that system. Instead, they’re covered by the Federal Employers Liability Act, or FELA, a federal law enacted […]
Fatigue on the Rails: How Sleep Deprivation Puts Railroad Workers at Risk
Railroad work doesn’t follow a 9-to-5 schedule. Trains run around the clock, across time zones, in every kind of weather. For the engineers, conductors, brakemen, and trackmen who keep those operations moving, the demands can be relentless. Irregular shifts. Extended hours. Unpredictable call times. Sleep schedules that get pushed, pulled, and compressed until there’s nothing left to give. That kind […]
Diesel Exhaust and Cancer Risk: What Railroad Workers Need to Know
Most people don’t think about what they’re breathing at work. You show up, you do your job, you go home. But for railroad workers, truckers, dock workers, and miners, the air around them every single day contains something far more dangerous than most of their employers want to acknowledge: diesel exhaust. This isn’t a fringe concern. It’s backed by decades […]
Mesothelioma Lawsuits for Railroad Workers Under FELA
When a railroad worker is diagnosed with mesothelioma, the legal and financial consequences can be overwhelming. An experienced railroad attorney understands that this aggressive cancer is almost always linked to long-term asbestos exposure in the workplace. At Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp, our FELA and railroad lawyers represent injured railroad workers and their families nationwide. If you or a loved one […]
Challenges of Filing a FELA Claim for a Back Injury
When a railroad worker suffers a serious back injury, the legal road ahead can be complex and adversarial. An experienced railroad attorney understands that these cases are rarely simple and often involve aggressive defense tactics by major rail corporations. At Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp, our FELA and railroad injury lawyers represent injured railroaders nationwide and have seen firsthand how physically […]
Filing a FELA Claim for Repetitive Stress Injuries
When a railroad worker develops chronic pain, numbness, or weakness that worsens over time, a skilled FELA attorney immediately looks beyond a single accident and evaluates whether the condition may be a repetitive stress injury. At Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp, our FELA lawyers have represented railroad workers nationwide who suffer from cumulative trauma and overuse injuries caused by years of […]