Thomas S. of Tennessee was represented by our firm’s FELA attorney Rick Shapiro. He came to us after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

He spent years working for a railroad company and suspected that his disease was a result of exposure to various toxic fumes throughout his career. Here is the feedback he provided to our firm about the representation he received by Rick during the FELA claim:

Thank you for the prompt, courteous and helpful service you provided to me throughout the course of my case. I’m very satisfied with the help you provided to me in my time of need, and will happily send my family and friends to you for help in the future.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton is an injury law firm whose attorneys have long histories of representing railroad workers in FELA and other railroad injury cases.  Attorneys will our firm have served as chairmen of the Railroad section of the American Association for Justice. One of our attorneys wrote a major attorney’s encyclopedia section on railroad safety litigation. Check out our railroad injury case results to see for yourself. Our offices are in Virginia Beach and Hampton, Virginia (VA), and Elizabeth City, North Carolina (NC). Our lawyers also hold licenses to practice in South Carolina (SC), West Virginia (WV), Kentucky (KY), Florida (FL) and Washington, DC, and have handled hundreds of railroad injury and FELA cases throughout the eastern United States. Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included in the 2011 issue of Best Lawyers in America. They, along with fellow attorney John M. Cooper, were also named 2011 Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law, an honor which fewer than 5 percent of outstanding lawyers receive. We would like to send you one of our FREE reports about railroad injury and FELA cases, such as Dos and Don’ts When Injured at a Railroad — Yours 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. Further, our lawyers proudly moderate the Yardlimits Railroad Community Forum and donate to the Fallen Brother Fund.

By John Cooper, Railroad Injury/FELA Lawyer in Virginia

The monopoly held by Norfolk Southern over container cargo going into and coming out of ports in Hampton Roads, Virginia (VA), is about to end. CSX has signed a national contract with Maersk Line that will shift the bulk of rail cargo operations at APM Terminals in Portsmouth, VA, the Virginian-Pilot reported.

As experienced Virginia railroad accident injury attorneys, my colleagues and I frequently report on companies such as NS and CSX when things go wrong — and plenty of things have been going wrong on the railways in these cost-cutting times. For instance, in September 2011 I reported on how a member of the United Transportation Union suffered the ninth fatal on-the-job accident of the year. According to the union, a veteran CSX engineer was crushed and killed when he was pinned between a locomotive and a rail car in Botkins, Ohio (OH), on September 8.

See this video of a CSX train

Our firm has represented clients who have been harmed or have even died working for CSX. One my colleague Rick Shapiro’s client, for example, was a railroad worker brakeman/switchman who lost his life to lung cancer following a five year battle, after being exposed to harmful asbestos, diesel fumes and radiation during his four-decade career in and around Knoxville, Tennessee (TN).  The jury returned an $8.6 million verdict in that railroad wrongful death case.

Norfolk Southern has made regular headlines of the wrong kind after employees have been harmed. In February 2011 we reported on how two contract railroad workers were seriously injured in a railroad accident, as they attempted to contain a rail car toxic chemical leak in Roanoke, VA .

To learn more about which railroads FELA lawyers usually file injury claims against,  read this FAQ.

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About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton is an injury law firm whose attorneys have long histories of representing railroad workers in FELA and other railroad injury cases.  Attorneys will our firm have served as chairmen of the Railroad section of the American Association for Justice. One of our attorneys wrote a major attorney’s encyclopedia section on railroad safety litigation. Check out our railroad injury case results to see for yourself. Our offices are in Virginia Beach and Hampton, Virginia (VA), and Elizabeth City, North Carolina (NC). Our lawyers also hold licenses to practice in South Carolina (SC), West Virginia (WV), Kentucky (KY), Florida (FL) and Washington, DC, and have handled hundreds of railroad injury and FELA cases throughout the eastern United States. Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included in the 2011 issue of Best Lawyers in America. They, along with fellow attorney John M. Cooper, were also named 2011 Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law, an honor which fewer than 5 percent of outstanding lawyers receive. We would like to send you one of our FREE reports about railroad injury and FELA cases, such as Dos and Don’ts When Injured at a Railroad — Yours 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. Further, our lawyers proudly moderate the Yardlimits Railroad Community Forum and donate to the Fallen Brother Fund.

By Randy Appleton, Railroad Accident Attorney in Virginia

My colleague John Cooper has blogged about an Amtrak train accident that occurred in Oakland, California (CA). As a result of the wreck, 18 people suffered injuries and at least one person was taken to the hospital. To learn more, take a look at “California Amtrak Accident Causes to Multiple Injuries.”

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About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton is an injury law firm whose attorneys have long histories of representing railroad workers in FELA and other railroad injury cases.  Attorneys will our firm have served as chairmen of the Railroad section of the American Association for Justice. One of our attorneys wrote a major attorney’s encyclopedia section on railroad safety litigation. Check out our railroad injury case results to see for yourself. Our offices are in Virginia Beach and Hampton, Virginia (VA), and Elizabeth City, North Carolina (NC). Our lawyers also hold licenses to practice in South Carolina (SC), West Virginia (WV), Kentucky (KY), Florida (FL) and Washington, DC, and have handled hundreds of railroad injury and FELA cases throughout the eastern United States. Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included in the 2011 issue of Best Lawyers in America. They, along with fellow attorney John M. Cooper, were also named 2011 Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law, an honor which fewer than 5 percent of outstanding lawyers receive. We would like to send you one of our FREE reports about railroad injury and FELA cases, such as Dos and Don’ts When Injured at a Railroad — Yours 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. Further, our lawyers proudly moderate the Yardlimits Railroad Community Forum and donate to the Fallen Brother Fund.

By Kevin Duffan, Railroad Accident Attorney in Virginia

A man was hit and killed by a Norfolk Southern train in Norfolk, Virginia (VA), around 3 am on October 14, 2011. Authorities are still investigating how and why this fatal accident occurred. To read more, visit “Man Killed by Train in Norfolk.”

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About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton is an injury law firm whose attorneys have long histories of representing railroad workers in FELA and other railroad injury cases.  Attorneys will our firm have served as chairmen of the Railroad section of the American Association for Justice. One of our attorneys wrote a major attorney’s encyclopedia section on railroad safety litigation. Check out our railroad injury case results to see for yourself. Our offices are in Virginia Beach and Hampton, Virginia (VA), and Elizabeth City, North Carolina (NC). Our lawyers also hold licenses to practice in South Carolina (SC), West Virginia (WV), Kentucky (KY), Florida (FL) and Washington, DC, and have handled hundreds of railroad injury and FELA cases throughout the eastern United States. Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included in the 2011 issue of Best Lawyers in America. They, along with fellow attorney John M. Cooper, were also named 2011 Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law, an honor which fewer than 5 percent of outstanding lawyers receive. We would like to send you one of our FREE reports about railroad injury and FELA cases, such as Dos and Don’ts When Injured at a Railroad — Yours 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. Further, our lawyers proudly moderate the Yardlimits Railroad Community Forum and donate to the Fallen Brother Fund.

By John Cooper, Railroad Accident/FELA Attorney

A 131-car Iowa Interstate freight train carrying flammable ethanol derailed at about 2 am on October 6, 2011, forcing the evacuation of Tiskilwa, Illinois (IL). No injuries to residents have been reported at this time, but it remains unconfirmed whether all of the train crew members escaped the accident without injury.

Trains carrying ethanol use the tracks through Tiskilwa every day, but residents told reporters that recent track work has been followed by faster moving trains, according to ABC News. ”Our house is 135 years old and strong, but we feel it when those tankers go through, so we notice a difference,” said Marilea Bensen, a resident of Tiskilwa.

Was this train wreck caused by a train traveling too fast? We will have to wait and see what the investigation reveals. If it turns out a crew member, or members, were injured in this derailment and the accident was caused by negligent operation, they should consult with a FELA attorney. When a rail employee is hurt in a work-related accident caused by negligence, the employee can pursue damages under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act. This is different from other workers who can pursue compensation through Workers Comp.

To learn more about FELA, check out these Frequently Asked Questions that are answered by experienced FELA lawyers.

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About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton is an injury law firm whose attorneys have long histories of representing railroad workers in FELA and other railroad injury cases.  Attorneys will our firm have served as chairmen of the Railroad section of the American Association for Justice. One of our attorneys wrote a major attorney’s encyclopedia section on railroad safety litigation. Check out our railroad injury case results to see for yourself. Our offices are in Virginia Beach and Hampton, Virginia (VA), and Elizabeth City, North Carolina (NC). Our lawyers also hold licenses to practice in South Carolina (SC), West Virginia (WV), Kentucky (KY), Florida (FL) and Washington, DC, and have handled hundreds of railroad injury and FELA cases throughout the eastern United States. Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included in the 2011 issue of Best Lawyers in America. They, along with fellow attorney John M. Cooper, were also named 2011 Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law, an honor which fewer than 5 percent of outstanding lawyers receive. We would like to send you one of our FREE reports about railroad injury and FELA cases, such as Dos and Don’ts When Injured at a Railroad — Yours 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. Further, our lawyers proudly moderate the Yardlimits Railroad Community Forum and donate to the Fallen Brother Fund.

By Rick Shapiro, VA Railroad Injury Attorney

My colleague John Cooper has posted a new blog to our Virginia personal injury attorneys’ website about proposed federal cuts to Amtrak that could result in a 60 percent reduction in funding to Virginia’s rail services. The cut raises concern that safety could also be sacrificed on Virginia’s railroads.

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About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton is an injury law firm whose attorneys have long histories of representing railroad workers in FELA and other railroad injury cases.  Attorneys will our firm have served as chairmen of the Railroad section of the American Association for Justice. One of our attorneys wrote a major attorney’s encyclopedia section on railroad safety litigation. Check out our railroad injury case results to see for yourself. Our offices are in Virginia Beach and Hampton, Virginia (VA), and Elizabeth City, North Carolina (NC). Our lawyers also hold licenses to practice in South Carolina (SC), West Virginia (WV), Kentucky (KY), Florida (FL) and Washington, DC, and have handled hundreds of railroad injury and FELA cases throughout the eastern United States. Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included in the 2011 issue of Best Lawyers in America. They, along with fellow attorney John M. Cooper, were also named 2011 Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law, an honor which fewer than 5 percent of outstanding lawyers receive. We would like to send you one of our FREE reports about railroad injury and FELA cases, such as Dos and Don’ts When Injured at a Railroad — Yours 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. Further, our lawyers proudly moderate the Yardlimits Railroad Community Forum and donate to the Fallen Brother Fund.

By John Cooper, FELA Lawyer in Virginia

Railroad workers Todd Burckhard and Blaine Mack were were killed in an accident involving their crew van and a pickup truck. The tragic wreck occurred on Highway 2 near Frazer, Montana (MT).

Burckhard was a locomotive engineer who worked for Burlington Northern Santa Fe and had about seven years of railroad experience. Mack had more than 36 years of service with the railroad, according to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) website.

“This tragedy is an example of the risks our members face each and every  day in crew van transportation,” said BLET National President Dennis Pierce.

Reports indicate the crew van in which Mack and Burckhard were riding was headed westbound when it was hit by an eastbound Dodge pickup that crossed into the westbound lane.

Our deepest sympathies go out to the victims of this awful accident. Losing someone you care about unexpectedly is a gut-wrenching experience that far too many people have to struggle with.

Burckhard is the sixth BLET member killed in the line of duty in 2011 and Mack is the eighth United Transportation Union member to die in 2011, which equals the total number of UTU members killed in each of the two previous years.

As VA railroad worker lawyers, we know that the vans and transports that take train crews to their job sites are often the cause of or the location of serious injuries. The needless harms caused by preventable injury to railroaders on duty always make me mad. The carriers often fail to make sure the van fleets have sufficient underinsured motorist coverage to compensate the men and their families for this circumstance. The railroad will try to wash is hands of responsibility by saying the accident was the other driver’s fault, not its or the van driver’s. The rail company could make sure the contract with the van owner has enough UIM coverage for the losses in the common situation where the at-fault driver has minimum insurance.  The economic damages when a wage-earner is killed alone are a huge blow to the survivors, not to mention the emotional losses suffered by wives and children when a husband dies.

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About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is an injury law firm whose attorneys have long histories of representing railroad workers in FELA and other railroad injury cases.  Attorneys will our firm have served as chairmen of the Railroad section of the American Association for Justice. One of our attorneys wrote a major attorney’s encyclopedia section on railroad safety litigation. Check out our railroad injury case results to see for yourself. Our offices are in Virginia Beach and Hampton, Virginia (VA), and Elizabeth City, North Carolina (NC). Our lawyers also hold licenses to practice in South Carolina (SC), West Virginia (WV), Kentucky (KY), Florida (FL) and Washington, DC, and have handled hundreds of railroad injury and FELA cases throughout the eastern United States. Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included in the 2011 issue of Best Lawyers in America. They, along with fellow attorney John M. Cooper, were also named 2011 Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law, an honor which fewer than 5 percent of outstanding lawyers receive. We would like to send you one of our FREE reports about railroad injury and FELA cases, such as Dos and Don’ts When Injured at a Railroad — Yours 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. Further, our lawyers proudly moderate the Yardlimits Railroad Community Forum and donate to the Fallen Brother Fund.

By Kevin Duffan, Virginia Mass Transit Accident Attorney

My colleague John Cooper reported recently on our firm’s Virginia personal injury website that a man was  injured at a light rail crossing when he apparently missed train signals to yield the right of way. John mentioned train crashes sometimes take place when a driver turns into the path of a train and suggested to watch our videos on locomotive safety.

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About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is an injury law firm whose attorneys have long histories of representing railroad workers in FELA and other railroad injury cases.  Attorneys will our firm have served as chairmen of the Railroad section of the American Association for Justice. One of our attorneys wrote a major attorney’s encyclopedia section on railroad safety litigation. Check out our railroad injury case results to see for yourself. Our offices are in Virginia Beach and Hampton, Virginia (VA), and Elizabeth City, North Carolina (NC). Our lawyers also hold licenses to practice in South Carolina (SC), West Virginia (WV), Kentucky (KY), Florida (FL) and Washington, DC, and have handled hundreds of railroad injury and FELA cases throughout the eastern United States. Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included in the 2011 issue of Best Lawyers in America. They, along with fellow attorney John M. Cooper, were also named 2011 Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law, an honor which fewer than 5 percent of outstanding lawyers receive. We would like to send you one of our FREE reports about railroad injury and FELA cases, such as Dos and Don’ts When Injured at a Railroad — Yours 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. Further, our lawyers proudly moderate the Yardlimits Railroad Community Forum and donate to the Fallen Brother Fund.

By John Cooper, Carolina Railroad Accident/FELA Lawyer

When an employee gets penalized or denied a promotion, most people assume the worker may have performed poorly on a work project or may be chronically late to work, or something to that effect. Not at Metro North Railroad. The company penalized employees and denied promotions to workers who suffered injuries on the job. That’s right. Metro North Railroad has a policy of considering an employee’s history of reporting injuries when determining whether or not an employee will get a promotion.

This happened to an ironworker with Metro North who passed all the hurdles for a locomotive engineer job. Then, after the final background check phase, the ironworker was handed a letter denying him the promotion with no explanation. An investigation discovered that the ironworker reported an injury within the past 3 years, and Metro North used that as a factor to deny the rail worker a promotion.

Not only is this policy just plain wrong, it is illegal. Metro North violated provisions in the Federal Rail Safety Act. That is why the ironworker won a $125,000 punitive damage award against Metro North. This was the largest amount of punitive damages awarded by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration under the law.

Here is an excerpt of what the Occupational Health and Safety Administration stated about Metro North’s awful policy. It is essentially a warning to all railroads nationwide:

Metro North automatically assigns points to an employee’s personnel record, thereby subjecting the employee to other adverse consequences such as disqualification for promotion or craft transfer, solely for lawfully reporting a work-related injury. Metro North’s enforcement of this policy, to the extent that it punishes employees for reporting work-related injuries, on its face violates FRSA. Such practices produce a chilling effect on reporting injuries in the workplace, jeopardizing employee safety. Furthermore, Metro North’s refusal to provide OSHA with certain documents requested during this investigation is consistent with its conduct in past investigations. Metro North’s pattern of refusal to provide OSHA with requested information during FRSA investigations demonstrates willful disregard for the law and the rights of its employees.

Unfortunately, Metro North is not the only railroad that routinely discriminates against rail employees who are brave enough to speak up when on-the-job railroad injuries occur. If you or a fellow rail worker suspect you were denied a promotion or have been subjugated at work simply because you reported an injury, speak to a railroad injury/FELA attorney to discuss your legal options.

To learn more about the employee protections under the Federal Rail Safety Act, take a look at this article written by a Virginia FELA attorney.

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About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is an injury law firm whose attorneys have long histories of representing railroad workers in FELA and other railroad injury cases.  Attorneys will our firm have served as chairmen of the Railroad section of the American Association for Justice. One of our attorneys wrote a major attorney’s encyclopedia section on railroad safety litigation. Check out our railroad injury case results to see for yourself. Our offices are in Virginia Beach and Hampton, Virginia (VA), and Elizabeth City, North Carolina (NC). Our lawyers also hold licenses to practice in South Carolina (SC), West Virginia (WV), Kentucky (KY), Florida (FL) and Washington, DC, and have handled hundreds of railroad injury and FELA cases throughout the eastern United States. Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included in the 2011 issue of Best Lawyers in America. They, along with fellow attorney John M. Cooper, were also named 2011 Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law, an honor which fewer than 5 percent of outstanding lawyers receive. We would like to send you one of our FREE reports about railroad injury and FELA cases, such as Dos and Don’ts When Injured at a Railroad — Yours 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. Further, our lawyers proudly moderate the Yardlimits Railroad Community Forum and donate to the Fallen Brother Fund.

By Rick Shapiro, VA Railroad Accident Injury Attorney

My colleague John Cooper has posted a new blog to our Virginia personal injury attorneys’ website about lawsuits that have been brought in the wake of a fatal railroad crash in Nevada. A tractor-trailer hit an Amtrak train at highway crossing near Reno, Nevada (NV), on June 24, 2011. This crash has given rise to  five claims against the trucking company that employed the at-fault driver and a countersuit against the train operator and track owner.

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About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is an injury law firm whose attorneys have long histories of representing railroad workers in FELA and other railroad injury cases.  Attorneys will our firm have served as chairmen of the Railroad section of the American Association for Justice. One of our attorneys wrote a major attorney’s encyclopedia section on railroad safety litigation. Check out our railroad injury case results to see for yourself. Our offices are in Virginia Beach and Hampton, Virginia (VA), and Elizabeth City, North Carolina (NC). Our lawyers also hold licenses to practice in South Carolina (SC), West Virginia (WV), Kentucky (KY), Florida (FL) and Washington, DC, and have handled hundreds of railroad injury and FELA cases throughout the eastern United States. Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included in the 2011 issue of Best Lawyers in America. They, along with fellow attorney John M. Cooper, were also named 2011 Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law, an honor which fewer than 5 percent of outstanding lawyers receive. We would like to send you one of our FREE reports about railroad injury and FELA cases, such as Dos and Don’ts When Injured at a Railroad — Yours 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. Further, our lawyers proudly moderate the Yardlimits Railroad Community Forum and donate to the Fallen Brother Fund.