In the worst of scenarios, when something goes wrong on the railroad, a worker may be left with financially devastating, not to mention life-altering, bodily injuries. Just to name a few, there is the possibility of a traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, internal organ damage, loss of sight or hearing, serious burns and physical scarring, amputation of a limb, etc. Even though railroad work is known to be one of the most hazardous jobs in the country, there is usually no excuse for what employees have to go through. With that being said, please read on to discover the circumstances that can lead to such catastrophic injuries and how one of the seasoned FELA lawyers at Hildebrand McLeod & Nelson LLP can help you recover if you have been made the victim of such.
Why does railroad work put employees at high risk for catastrophic injuries?
Generally speaking, the environment in which a railroad employee works and the tasks they are expected to perform all put them at high risk for catastrophic injuries. Below are some examples of this becoming a very real possibility for them:
- A coupling malfunction may prompt uncontrolled railcar movement, and the sheer mass of a railcar may detrimentally crush a railroad worker’s body part.
- A piece of heavy railroad machinery may malfunction, and it may lead to a brain injury, spinal injury, broken bones, or severe fractures for the worker operating it.
- An elevated walkway may not have anti-slip traction surfaces, which causes a railroad worker to slip and fall from a great height and incur multiple bone breaks.
- A collision between two locomotives can ignite a large fire, and in turn, a railroad worker may be exposed to smoke inhalation and fire that seriously burns their skin.
What are possible contributing factors to catastrophic railroad injuries?
After a railroad accident that resulted in your catastrophic injuries, your employer may shockingly attempt to spin the blame on you. Here, they may argue that they provided you with the proper safety equipment and training to prevent such a catastrophe, not to mention a considerably safer workplace environment. However, you may still reasonably counter that they exhibited negligence, which ultimately drove you towards getting hurt.
For example, it may be the case that your employer pressured you to work to the point of exhaustion, with consistently long hours and overnight shifts with little to no breaks in between. This may be because they have employed inadequate crew support in an effort to cut costs or otherwise. At any rate, these unsafe scheduling and staffing patterns may cause your fatigue, which can subsequently prompt your impaired judgment, reduced alertness, and ultimately, your increased risk of getting into a serious accident.
All of this to say, if you have evidence to support your employer’s contributory negligence, you may have sufficient grounds to file a Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) claim against them. So, if you wish to gain more clarity on the situation you are dealing with, the best way to get it is by consulting with one of the competent FELA lawyers. Get in touch with our team at Hildebrand McLeod & Nelson LLP today.
