Work in the railroad industry can be very dangerous. Equipment in use at railroad worksites can be very large, and worksites that are not properly monitored by management can quickly devolve in repositories of hazards for workers.
Brain injuries and spinal cord injuries are particularly common among railroad employees. In one recent case, a lifelong railroad employee who suffered a spinal injury made a successful claim against his former employer to the tune of half a million dollars.
The plaintiff in the case worked as a traveling mechanic for BNSF Railway Company for 31 years until he slipped and fell while making repairs to a train crane. The man’s lawyer argued that BNSF was responsible for the career-ending back injury. BNSF countered that in their view, the plaintiff’s back problems did not start until he fell at home a year after the incident at the worksite.
The jury sided with the plaintiff. He was awarded $500,000 — not a bad sum to help him kick start his retirement, even if it did come a bit earlier than intended.
If you have suffered injury while working for a railroad company, the success of the plaintiff in this recent case does not guarantee a favorable result in your own case. But it does show that juries can be convinced of the truth and are willing to grant injured railroad employees the full compensation they are entitled to in instances in which their cases are just.
An attorney experienced in railroad injury cases can tell you more about legal claims involving railroad injuries and can provide an assessment of your case.
Source: Billings Gazette, “Jury awards BNSF employee $500,000 in personal injury civil trial,” Eddie Gregg, June 18, 2014
