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Primary remedy for injured Connecticut railroad workers


Peruse any list of top-ranked dangerous jobs in Connecticut (or the entire nation, for that matter) and you’ll likely find railroad work included. If you’re a railroad employee, your employer has hopefully provided proper training and equipment to keep you as safe as possible on the job. Your employer has also hopefully kept you informed regarding any potential hazards or regulation changes that impact your duties.

If you suffer injury on the job, you will go through various processes to report the incident to the appropriate officials. If your employer’s negligence was a causal factor in your injury, then you’ll also want to make sure you clearly understand the Federal Employers Liability Act and how it may affect your situation. FELA is an injured railroad worker’s sole means for pursuing recovery against an employer who failed to fulfill safety obligations to help keep the employee safe at work.

FELA history

FELA came to be more than century ago. As with most federal laws, it is complex and those without specific litigation background may feel confused when trying to navigate the process. If your work-related injury involves employer negligence, the following information regarding FELA may be useful to you:

  • This law allows injured railroad workers to seek compensation for damages against negligent employers.
  • Such cases are filed in state courts; however, all states are bound to federal statutes related to FELA. This creates uniformity among the FELA process in all 50 states.
  • There is often a vast range of differences between jury awards in FELA litigation regarding similar worker injuries and accidents.
  • Many workers injured in past incidents say their supervisors tried to persuade them not to file injury reports so as to avoid the FELA process.
  • If your own negligence contributed to the accident that caused your injury, you may be at risk for losing some or all of your monetary award. Because of this, some lobbyists have tried to convince Congress to scrap FELA and replace it with a no-fault program, similar to workers’ compensation.

As it stands, FELA has proved durable since 1908 when lawmakers enacted it under President Theodore Roosevelt’s administration. You can take comfort in knowing that you do not have to go it alone when seeking a jury verdict against your employer regarding a workplace injury on a Connecticut railroad. There are support networks in place to assist you at every phase of your journey.

  • $10.8 Million Verdict for a Metro-North Conductor wrongful death case. (Avery v. Metro-North RR).
  • $8 Million settlement for an Amtrak Trackman who sustained a crushed leg. (Cevasco v. National Railroad Passenger Corp.).
  • $7 Million settlement for a Metro-North Foreman whose legs were amputated. (Renert v. Metro-North RR).
  • $5.8 Million settlement for an Amtrak Conductor who sustained a head injury. (Fitzpatrick v. National Railroad Passenger Corp.).
  • $5.5 Million settlement for a Metro-North Machinist wrongful death case. (Pieger v. Metro-North RR).
  • $4.3 Million Verdict for a Metro-North Conductor wrongful death case. (Ard v. Metro-North RR)
  • $2.57 Million Verdict for an Amtrak Conductor who sustained a back injury. (Pace v. National Railroad Passenger Corp.).
  • $2.5 Million Settlement for a Metro-North employee who sustained a serious head injury.
  • Settled for a Confidential Sum for a Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company Trackman wrongful death case. (Macaulay v. Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company.)
  • $6.250 Million Verdict in 2023 which was later reduced to $2.1 Million for a Metro-North Structural Welder/Ironworker who sustained head and neck injuries and has returned to work. (Torres v. Metro-North RR).
  • $2 Million Verdict for a Metro-North Lineman who sustained an electrical burn (Curly v. Metro-North RR).
  • $2 Million Settlement in 2020 for a Providence & Worcester Railroad Company Conductor who sustained a serious head injury and returned to work for another RR as an Engineer. (Scarpa v. Providence & Worcester Railroad Company.)
  • $2 Million Settlement for a Metro-North Conductor who sustained a fractured leg.
    Settled for a Confidential Sum in 2019 an Amtrak Lineman involving an electrocution causing a permanent occupational disability. (Anderson v. National Railroad Passenger Corp.).
  • $1.85 Million Verdict for an Amtrak Ticket Agent who was assaulted. (Schneider v. National Railroad Passenger Corp.)
  • Compensatory and punitive damages Verdicts and subsequently settled for $1.8 Million in 2023 for a Metro-North
  • Conductor who suffered Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. (Moran v. Metropolitan Transportation Authority).
  • $1.69 Million Settlement for an Amtrak Supervisor who was shot by an employee. (Cornelius v. National Railroad Passenger Corp.)
  • $1.65 Million Verdict for a Metro-North Lineman who sustained foot and ankle injuries. (Keating v. Metro-North RR).
  • $1.65 Million Verdict for a Metro-North TA Employee who sustained an Open Tibia Fracture to his left leg. (Rivera v. Metro-North RR).
  • $1.54 Million Verdict for an Amtrak General Foreman who sustained a herniated disc in his lower back. (Brady v. National Railroad Passenger Corporation).
  • $1.45 Million Verdict for a Construction Worker who sustained a left hip injury. (Quintiliani v. National Railroad Passenger Corporation).
  • $1.42 Million Verdict for a Metro-North Machinist who sustained a fractured rib and a herniated disc. (Hall v. Metro-North RR).
  • $1.4 Million Verdict for a Metro-North Mechanical Gang Foreman who sustained burns from an explosion of steam on an engine. (Berry v. Metro-North RR).
  • $1.4 Million Verdict for a Metro-North Carpenter Foreman who sustained a back injury. (Kendall v. Metro-North RR).
  • $1.3 Million Verdict for a Metro-North Signal Trainee Maintainer who sustained a back injury from a slip and fall. (Moran v. Metro-North RR).
  • $1.2 Million Verdict for a Metro-North Signal Maintainer who sustained a back injury and post-concussion syndrome. (Manes v. Metro-North RR).
  • $1.2 Million Verdict for a Metro-North Trackman who sustained crushed legs. (Murillo v. Metro-North RR).
  • $1 Million Settlement for a Metro-North Trackman who sustained burns from pot welding and subsequently returned to work. (Burke v. Metro-North RR).

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