FELA Lawsuit

Last Thursday, The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee heard testimony from rail union employees from Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern railroads. They testified that their supervisors discouraged them from reporting serious accidents or even delayed treatment for their injuries.

Harassment and intimidation of rail workers is used by .some railroads to coerce employees not to report on-the-job accidents and injuries. Therefore, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) may never be notified about a large number of injuries and accidents resulting in FRA safety statistics that may not accurately reflect the number of accidents and injuries that occur in the industry.

Former Norfolk Southern employee Timothy Knisely testified that when he attempted to disconnect an air hose from a set of rail cars, the hose broke loose, continually striking him in the head, chest, arms and legs with 80 pounds of pressure.

“The trainmaster tried to persuade me to not report the injury,” Knisely said. “But I resisted his pressure and reported it. The next day I was charged with making a false report. After 27 years of dedicated and loyal service to the railroad, I was subsequently charged with lying about being struck in the head and eventually fired.”

This is an example of mistreatment that rail employees of all crafts are forced to endure,” said John Tolman, Vice President and National Legislative Representative for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) during testimony at the hearing.

Tolman also thanked lawmakers for passage last week of H.R. 2095, the Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2007. Included in the bill is a provision that guarantees the right to prompt medical attention and makes it unlawful for a railroad to interfere in the relationship between an injured railroad worker and his or her doctor.

To learn more, contact the FELA Lawyers at Williams Kherkher by calling 1.800.220.9341.