Have you ever been hurt by a train? Workmen’s compensation does not cover railroad personnel who are wounded or killed on the job. Instead, they are protected by the Federal Employers Liability Act, also known as FELA. Ramji Law Group has been safeguarding injured railroad workers under the FELA for over 125 years.
Cuts, sprains, broken bones, fractures, torn ligaments in the knees, elbow injuries, shoulder injuries, torn ligaments such as rotator cuff tendons, electrocutions, burns, low back and neck injuries, paralysis, head trauma, amputation, and death are all covered by the FELA, as well as occupational and toxic injuries (such as carpal tunnel syndrome, asbestos, and mesothelioma).
The FELA applies to railroads such as: Amtrak, Metro North Railroad, New Jersey Transit Railroad (NJT Rail), PATH Rail, Long Island Railroad (LIRR), CSXT Railroad, Norfolk Southern Railway (NS), Burlington Northern Railroad (BNSF), and Union Pacific Railroad.
The FELA offers injured workers the right to sue the railroad for past and future salary losses, bodily pain, and mental anguish. However, unlike workers’ compensation, under the FELA, injured railroad workers can only receive damages if they can show that their injury was caused by the railroad’s carelessness or fault. Unlike workers’ compensation, the FELA allows a railroad to decrease the amount of damages it pays by blaming the injured worker for the accident. As a result, the railroad will do everything it can to blame the injured worker rather than itself.
Most personal injury attorneys are not familiar with the railroad industry and the different standards applicable to FELA cases, so it is critically important that you protect your rights by consulting an experienced Houston railroad injury lawyer.