Many children who love to lie on floors while playing with toy trains grow up to become conductors, engineers, track repair workers or other employees in the railroad industry. In fact, many say a childhood love of trains usually remains intact for a lifetime. Of course, much changes between youth and adulthood, and where playing with trains versus working on the railroad is concerned, the latter is far more dangerous than the former.

Railroad work is one of the most dangerous jobs in the nation. Still, many railroad workers enjoy their careers and find the work quite rewarding. However, if a worker is not properly trained or something goes wrong on the job, the results can be utterly disastrous, as made evident by several very serious train crashes in the news over the past few years.

Beware the potential injuries of working on the railroad

Railroad work is undoubtedly not the type of career that the average person wants to take on without doing some research to learn about the safety risks associated with many railroad jobs. Following is a brief list of the most frequently reported injuries connected to railroad accidents:

• Falling: Railroad workers are at risk any time one of the massive locomotives is moving. Many injuries have occurred in the past when workers tumble off trains that are moving along the tracks.
• Hit by trains: Even with two feet planted firmly on the ground, mishaps sometimes occur that result in tragedy when moving trains hit pedestrian workers.
• Hit by other objects: A person doesn’t necessarily have to be riding a train to be injured on the job in a railroad environment. Lots of construction goes on in the railroad yards, and some workers are severely injured when objects associated with railroad construction fall on top of them or strike them in some way.
• Electrocution: Electrical accidents are one of the most common types of injuries associated with railroad work.

In any of these situations, a worker may suffer broken bones, neck and back injuries, or other bodily harm that necessitates immediate medical attention. Of course, there have been many train work accidents where multiple fatalities occurred as well. The fact is that even a minor on-the-job injury can require extensive time off work, ongoing medical care and other consequences that affect a person’s private and professional life, prompting them to seek outside support.

Since the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA) protects railroad workers, they’re able to file FELA claims against their employers if there is evidence that employer negligence somehow caused the accident and/or injuries to occur. Speaking with an attorney who is familiar with FELA before pursuing any type of claim is typically a good idea if your goal is to receive the full amount of compensation you need and deserve.