How FELA Protects Railroad Workers
If you have recently been seriously hurt on the job, you may be wondering how FELA protects railroad workers and if it will be of benefit to you. Our Tampa personal injury lawyers detail what you need to know.
How FELA Protects Railroad Workers | Am I Covered by FELA?
Oftentimes a railroader who is on the job or even off the job comes into the office and asks whether or not he’s covered under the FELA, for example if you have a job where you travel on the railroad for a distance and as a result of being on the job for say an 8 or 10 hour period you are required to remain overnight let’s say in a hotel and perhaps get picked up the next day and take the train on further or to catch another train coming the opposite direction to return you to your home base, you are covered by the FELA while you are remaining overnight in that distant location so for example, there have been cases where individuals staying in hotels overnight will cross the road to go to a restaurant to eat and they’re struck by a car, they are covered by the FELA if the railroad puts them into a place that involves a dangerous situation or a dangerous location.
How FELA Protects Railroad Workers | Stress Injuries
Oftentimes railroaders particularly those that have worked on the railroad for a significant period of time have occupational injuries such as repetitive stress injuries, such as Carpal Tunnel, occupational diseases such as Silicosis, or hearing loss as a result of being exposed to harmful chemicals or loud noises and railroad workers have claims for these occupational diseases and injuries under the FELA.
How FELA Protects Railroad Workers | Recoverable Damages
If you are injured on a job as a railroad worker you can collect damages for your medical bills, your wage loss and also what we call non-economic damages. Those include pain and suffering, mental anguish, inconvenience, disability, impairment or loss of the ability to enjoy life’s pleasures. Interestingly those damages, the non-economic damages are the damages that an individual not covered by the FELA cannot receive under traditional worker’s compensation so under the FELA you are allowed to recover a much broader class of damages. If you’re injured as a railroad worker on the job please seek out our law firm to represent you in your FELA claims.
If you are looking for an experienced Tampa personal injury lawyer to take on your claim, please call our office today for a free consultation. We would be happy to offer you advice and give you your legal options.
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