One of the unique aspects of the protections the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) provides employees may recover under the Act for injuries caused by their fellow employees. A railroad is responsible for injuries to an employee if the negligence of the railroad contributes “even in the slightest” to the cause of the injury. There is a litany of duties […]
Understanding the Impact of Coworker Negligence on Your FELA Claim
What Are a Victim’s Legal Options if Injured in a Train Crash?
According to the National Transportation Safety Bureau, a person or vehicle is hit by a train every two hours. Approximately 1,000 people are killed each year in train-related accidents. This number has seen a steady increase each year since 1997. Some of the more common types of train accidents include: Train-car crashes Train-person crash Train-train crash Derailment National statistics […]
Important Info You Need to Know When Injured on the Railroad
Health Hazards of Working Around Diesel Engines
In 1890 the first patent for a diesel engine was issued. Over the next century, more and more industries incorporated this type of engine in equipment and vehicles. One of the main reasons for its popularity was that diesel engines were more energy efficient than engines that ran on gasoline. Diesel fuel releases less CO2 carbon emissions than gasoline fuel. […]
Norfolk Jury Returns $5 Million Verdict in Favor of Client Who Passed Away from Asbestos-Related Lung Disease
Our client, a carman, worked at Norfolk Southern’s Lambert’s Point car repair shop for more than a decade. He serviced and changed out asbestos-containing brake shoes at the shop year in and year out breathing in toxic asbestos fibers. After nearly ten years, Norfolk Southern hired abatement contractors to remove asbestos from the car shop. Our client subsequently became very […]
Pursuing Damages in a Train-Related Accident
According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation, there are approximately 1,000 people injured in train-related accidents each year. Another 300 people are killed. There are many different types of train-related accidents that occur, but they all have one thing in common: Victims who suffer injuries and losses from these accidents can file train accident claims or lawsuits for […]
INJURIES ON LOCOMOTIVES
While the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) 45 U.S.C. § 51 et seq. offers protection to all railroad employees who are injured in the course of their employment due to some negligence on the part of the railroad or its employees, engineers and trainmen who suffer injuries on locomotives that are in use (i.e. not being repaired or serviced) […]
OVERVIEW OF THE FELA
The Federal Employers’ Liability Act (“FELA”), 45 USC § 51, et seq., is a humanitarian statute intended to protect railroad workers from unsafe conditions and practices associated with their occupations. Its purpose has been interpreted as to adjust and allocate the cost of work-related injuries, an inescapable expense of the railroad industry, between the worker and the railroad. Sinkler v. […]
Do Railroad Office Workers Have FELA Rights?
Yes, to give the briefest and clearest answer. Any employee of a railroad corporation that engages in interstate commerce has coverage for work-related injuries and occupational illnesses under the law formally known as the Federal Employers Liability Act. LEARN MORE Retired Railroad Workers Can File FELA Claims Are There Damage Limits Under FELA? FELA was enacted in 1908 to protect […]
Why You Need an Experienced Railroad Derailment Lawyer When You Suffer Injuries or Lung Damage From a Train Wreck
No one can feel completely safe when a train goes off the tracks. “Train wreck” did not become shorthand for a disastrous situation for no reason. As Virginia-based railroad injury lawyers for going on 40 years, we have seen firsthand some of the worst results from train derailments. We helped several victims of the Norfolk Southern chemical train crash in […]