Train Accidents Help
Recent Railroad Lawsuits
September 2008
The family of one of the 25 victims killed in the Chatsworth train crash announced that they will file a train accident lawsuit against Metrolink, the company that operated the train. An initial investigation revealed that the engineer driving the train may have been sending text messages on his cell phone minutes before the commuter train struck an oncoming freight train. A spokeswoman for Metrolink said that the engineer's failure to stop at a red signal warning him of the oncoming train "was the cause of the accident."
June 2007
Union Pacific has been ordered to pay $942,000 to a former conductor who suffered a railroad injury. Terry Sigler worked for UP for more than 40 years in Nebraska and often traveled to nearby states, staying in motels for layovers. In 2002, while staying at a motel in Missouri, Sigler fell and injured his knee on a patch of ice on the motel’s sidewalk. He had to undergo several surgeries, and doctors concluded that he could no longer carry on his work due to this railroad injury.
May 2007
Union Pacific has been hit with a FELA lawsuit by a carman who claimed he suffered injuries to his arms, knees and back due to unsafe working conditions, among other things. In his railroad injury lawsuit, Dennis Colwell alleges that UP provide him with insufficient help and equipment. To cover medical expenses, lost wages and ability to labor, and loss of enjoyment of life, Colwell is seeking damages of $150,000 for his injuries and suffering.
April 2007
Roger D. Schroen has filed a FELA lawsuit against Norfolk Southern, claiming that it failed to provide him with a safe place to work. He alleges that repetitive trauma from repairing the company’s tracks caused severe and permanent railroad injuries. Schroen is seeking damages in excess of $50,000 for medical expenses, pain and mental anguish, and lost wages.
March 2007
In Stamford, Connecticut, the family of a man who was crushed to death by a train three years ago has won a FELA lawsuit. A jury has awarded $4.3 million to the wife and daughters of Robert Ard, who was 48 at the time. Ard, a conductor, was hit while his crew was moving trains into position. The jury concluded that the railroad violated its operating rules, although a railroad spokesperson insisted Ard contributed to his own death—thus a 25% reduction in the size of the award.
February 2007
A man who worked as a bridge welder for 30 years has filed a FELA lawsuit (for $50,000, plus legal expenses) against Norfolk Southern, claiming he suffered repetitive stress injuries. Ronald Allred claims that the railroad was careless and negligent in failing to provide a safe working environment. Allred alleges that he sustained severe permanent injuries to his wrists and hands as a result of his railroad accident.
January 2007
A jury in Grand Rapids, Michigan has awarded $1.1 million to a man who was severely injured and nearly crushed to death in a railroad accident. Reginald Booker had spent 24 years with the CSX Railroad until his disabling accident in September 2003. Booker was inspecting a hopper car at a rail yard when it fell off its jacks, causing him to suffer serious injuries to his vertebrae and pelvis.
January 2007
Jack Franklin, a former trackman, has filed a FELA lawsuit for damages in excess of $150,000, claiming that CSX’s failure to provide a safe working environment caused him to sustain back injuries and develop asbestosis. He claims that CSX failed to monitor and/or inspect levels of asbestos, warn employees of the dangers of asbestos exposure and provide safe equipment—all of which led to his railroad injuries.
