By Randy Appleton, FELA Railroad Accident Attorney

The conductor who got knocked down by, and then trapped under, Norfolk Southern rail cars in a Lafayette, Indiana (IN), yard on the morning of January 3, 2010, will live. He has lost his leg to amputation, but reports list him in stable condition in an Indianapolis hospital.

The cause of the accident in which NS cars backed up unexpectedly and struck the conductor, if yet known, have not been disclosed. Still, the accident in which a young man lost a limb and most likely suffered other serious injuries illustrates that railroaders practice a dangerous profession.

On its website, NS crows that safety is its top priority. That is small comfort to the scores of the company’s employees who get hurt each year while working on Norfolk Southern trains, tracks and property. As specialists in representing plaintiffs in railroad injury and FELA lawsuits, my colleagues and I understand that amputations, crush injuries, brain injuries, repetitive stress disorders and occupational illnesses ranging from silicosis to asbestos-caused mesothelioma are daily and lifelong threats for rail workers.

We all wish the conductor a speedy recovery.

EJL

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is an injury law firm with a long history of representing railroad workers in FELA and other railroad injury cases. Check out our railroad injury case results to see for yourself. Our offices are in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA), and Elizabeth City, North Carolina (NC). Our lawyers hold licenses in VA, NC, SC, WV, KY and DC and have handled hundreds of railroad injury and FELA cases throughout the eastern U.S. We would like to send you one of our FREE reports about railroad injury and FELA cases, including Do’s and Don’ts When Injured at a Railroad–The Railroad Worker’s FELA Rights and What Railroad Claim Agents Won’t Tell You (But You Must Know). We provide free initial confidential injury case consultations, so call us toll free at (800) 752-0042 before giving any statement or talking to a railroad claims agent. Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube . Furthermore, our lawyers proudly moderate the Yardlimits Railroad Community Forum and donate to the Fallen Brother Fund.