East Palestine Train Derailment
When in early December 2022, Joe Biden signed into law a measure that imposed the contract agreement brokered by his administration back in September, many people predicted that it would lead to unsafe conditions and perhaps even catastrophies. In early February, those grim predictions came true.
The deal that Biden signed promised railroad workers a 24% raise over five years, caps on health care premiums, and one additional personal day, but none of the paid sick days that workers asked for.
The East Palestine, OH railroad derailment is a disaster that as of the writing of this article is still revealing itself to be one of the most serious, and possibly preventable railroad disasters in American history.
Relentless Press for Profits Increases Incidents of Railroad Injury
From our point of view as FELA attorneys in St Clair County, we, like those injured railroad workers we represent see no end to the questionable actions by railroad companies to go against safety requests from their workers leading to more and more train accidents and FELA claims.
Workers in precision railroad scheduling systems are relegated to cogs in a wheel of profits who would be, and are being, eliminated as much as possible. Railroad workers have been receiving the clear message that they are only necessary to the railroad business model until they can be removed from the equation completely.
Railroad workers routinely complain about disciplinary attendance policies along with bare bones skeleton crews, mean that they are unable to take off when ill or exhausted. What is the result? East Palestine, OH.
It seems logical that with railroad worker safety concerns continuously ignored we should expect to see an uptick in railroad injury settlements, injury claims, along with damage to American communities where accidents occur.
Railroad operations are some of the most hazardous kinds of work out there, and as the tensions between the corporations, workers and our legislature show, a lot of money is at stake. Sadly, as railroad lawyers we see the saddest end of what to the major railroads are merely an equation of profitability.
Injured By The Railroad? Hire An Experienced FELA Attorney
In our role as railroad injury attorney we see injury cases involving long term if not permanent debilitation and personal injury. We see railroad accidents such as the one in East Palestine causing death and dismemberment, with injured workers and their families faced with further hurdles of simply continuing to live with hardships caused by an industry that seems to not care about the human toll that it imposes.
If you’re a railroad worker the Federal Employer Liability Act is still a remedial tool that you can count on, however it’s always best to hire an injury lawyer well versed in FELA law. When you have a claim against a railroad you need more than an average personal injury attorney or workers compensation lawyer; you should demand representation by a lawyer who knows FELA law.
Kujawski & Associates, LLC can help. Our law firm is proud of our FELA case results. To learn more, please fill out this form to let us know the generalities of your case or simply call: 618-622-3600, or Toll-Free 800-624-4571
