Essentially, a cumulative stress injury, also commonly referred to as a repetitive strain injury, is an injury to the musculoskeletal system after prolonged, repetitive motions or strains. This injury type is often seen amongst those who hold office jobs, due to long hours of constant typing on a keyboard or consistently maintaining an awkward posture in a desk chair to view a computer monitor. However, repetitive actions that prompt such an injury are also typical in jobs within the railroad injury. And while they may seem like minor pains and strains, they can be debilitating, even leading to permanent disability. With all these things considered, please continue reading to learn how a railroad worker might incur this injury type and how one of the experienced cumulative stress injury lawyers at Hildebrand McLeod & Nelson LLP can help you obtain the financial compensation you require to recover from yours.
How can a railroad worker incur a cumulative stress injury?
To reiterate, a cumulative stress injury is prompted by unnaturally repetitive bodily motions. In the context of railroad workers, a common one is whole body vibration syndrome. This is because, day in and day out, these workers may be exposed to standing or sitting in a shaking locomotive, bouncing and swaying over long miles of track, or handling vibrating heavy machinery. In turn, they may experience chronic fatigue, headaches, stomachaches, loss of balance, shakiness, or aggravated preexisting back injuries.
Overall, railroad workers may be vulnerable to musculoskeletal injuries to their ankles, knees, hips, and backs over time. This is inevitable because, by its nature, their work involves heavy lifting (sometimes shifting awkward loads) and a lot of squatting, kneeling, or bending over to perform their other job tasks.
This is not to mention how prolonged exposure to loud noises (i.e., rail yards, engine rooms, and trains themselves) may lead to a cumulative stress injury. Namely, railroad workers often become hard of hearing or deaf toward the conclusion of their careers.
How can I file a FELA claim for my cumulative stress injury?
Importantly, as a railroad worker, you cannot seek recovery for your cumulative stress injury through workers’ compensation benefits. Rather, you must pursue legal action against your negligent railroad company employer through the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA).
With your FELA claim, you must have medical evidence that links your injury to your work. However, your cumulative stress injury may have taken time to surface. This is why it is helpful to seek medical attention as soon as you notice an initial sign or symptom. What’s more, you may acquire a medical expert to demonstrate this intrinsic connection to the court.
To conclude, you should know that one of the skilled FELA lawyers is here to assist you with whatever your legal issue may be. So please reach out to us at Hildebrand McLeod & Nelson LLP today.
