Despite years of calls for improved railroad safety, railroad workers still do their jobs in conditions that can be genuinely dangerous. Those conditions lead to serious injuries every year, and in the most tragic cases, to deaths. On-duty railroad workers continue to be killed on the job, and thousands more suffer reportable injuries annually. When the worst happens, a grieving […]

Railroad workers who get hurt operating a handbrake often come to us with two questions. Does the FELA cover me? And do I still have a case if the railroad inspected the brake afterward and it worked fine? The United States Supreme Court and decades of legal precedent have settled these questions, and they favor injured workers more than most […]

Back injuries are one of the most frequent injuries sustained by railway workers. Your back consists of a mass of bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments that make it possible for you to lift heavy objects and bend over. Back injuries, such as strains, sprains, fractures, and herniated discs, can be caused by stretching, lifting, and over-extending your spine. While they […]

Nearly every job on a train or in a rail yard demands hard physical labor. Workers bend, twist, and routinely lift loads weighing up to 100 pounds. Employees of Amtrak, CSX, Norfolk Southern, and other Class I and short line railroads put their backs and spines at risk every single day, and far too often that risk turns into a […]

Virginia and the railroad have a long history together, and that history has shaped both the industry and the lawyers who represent the people it injures. Norfolk & Western Railway, now Norfolk Southern, was based in Norfolk, Virginia for generations, and our office sits about 20 minutes away. CSX Transportation, built from the old Atlantic Coast Line, Seaboard, and a […]

Our Virginia personal injury firm has handled many railroad worker injury cases that turn on the Safety Appliance Act, or SAA, and other federal railroad regulations like the Locomotive Inspection Act. What we see again and again is that injured railroaders often have no idea one of these safety statutes even applies to how they got hurt. That gap in […]

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 […]

If you’ve been hurt while working for a railroad company, you may have already heard from a claim agent. This person may sound friendly, helpful, and even reassuring. They may tell you that you can just sit back and relax while they take care of everything. They might even go so far as to tell you that you don’t need […]

Railroad workers face potentially dangerous conditions every day as a part of their jobs. When injuries happen, railroad workers are not eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. Instead, claims for reimbursement of lost wages, medical expenses, and other costs associated with their injuries are made through the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA). As a federal statute, it sets forth requirements about […]