Connecticut railroad workers don’t want to be added to this list

On behalf of Cahill & Perry, P.C. Attorneys at Law on Friday, July 27, 2018.

Connecticut railroad employees face many challenges and risks on the job. Maybe you went to work for the railroad right out of high school, following a long line of family ancestry in the industry, or perhaps you came to your job later in life, after you were already married and raising a family. Either way, when you step off a platform, onto a train, you are at risk for injury. Your employer hopefully provided required training and safety equipment to lower your risk.

Throughout the years, there have been many serious train wrecks in the United States, some in Connecticut. In the past 25 years, some of the deadliest accidents in American history have occurred. Long ago, railroad workers were virtually unprotected, with no way to seek recovery for their losses if they survived an accident. Nowadays, you can navigate the Federal Employers Liability Act process to obtain benefits or seek legal accountability against your employer if warranted.

A glimpse back in time

Advanced technology and regulation changes have hopefully made your workplace safer than it was for the people involved in the following railroad collisions, which were some of the worst ever:

• In 2015, hundreds of people suffered injury and, sadly, eight died when a train traveling through a 50 miles per hour section of track barreled through at more than 100 miles per hour.
• The engineer’s negligence was blamed although he said he could barely remember the accident.
• Also, in 2015, a train moving 50 miles per hour collided with a sport utility vehicle on the tracks. The engineer reportedly tried to avert the crash by honking the horn and engaging emergency brakes but his efforts were not successful. Five people died.
• In another fatal train wreck, a couple years prior to those aforementioned, an engineer fell asleep on the job, ultimately costing four people’s lives and causing injury to more than 60 others.

The list goes on, with some train accidents caused by human error, others due to equipment failures. The last thing you want to have happen while you’re on duty on a Connecticut railroad is to wind up in a hospital bed because someone didn’t do what they were supposed to or equipment failed to work as it should. There are support resources available to help you navigate the FELA process as you cope with your injuries and recover from a tragic situation.