Ohio Railroad Worker Fall from Heights Lawyer

Railroad workers face numerous hazards in their jobs and working at a height is one of them. Falls from heights can produce severe injuries that might require an injured worker to miss significant time on the job while they recover. Sometimes the injuries are serious enough that the worker might never be able to resume their former position. If you are an employee who fell while working, you could benefit from legal representation from an experienced railroad injury attorney. A specific federal law applies to railroad workers’ on-the-job injuries and it could entitle you to substantial compensation. An Ohio railroad worker fall from heights lawyer has the knowledge and experience necessary to help you get back on your feet financially.

Railroad Fall from Heights Lawyer | Helping Workers in Ohio

Falls of any kind could produce serious injury but falls from heights of six feet or higher have a greater likelihood of requiring significant medical intervention and producing permanent impairment. Falls from a height of 30 feet are often fatal, but an accident from a lesser height also could result in death, depending on the impact. Some of the significant injuries commonly associated with falls from a height include:

• Broken arms and legs
• Concussion
• Hip fractures
• Chest injuries, including rib fractures, ruptured diaphragm, and punctured lungs
• Skull fractures, cerebral hematoma, and traumatic brain injury
• Spinal cord injury

Recovering from these injuries could require lengthy hospitalization, multiple surgeries, and extensive rehabilitation. In some cases, full recovery might be impossible. An Ohio railroad falling injury attorney could review an individual’s medical records to help a family calculate the damages necessary to compensate for the effects on the railroad worker’s health, income, and quality of life.

Liability of Negligent Railroads in Ohio

The Federal Employee Liability Act (FELA) protects railroad workers from their employers’ negligent acts. If the worker proves that the railroad’s negligence contributed to their accident, the worker could collect damages.

In most negligence cases, Ohio Revised Code § 2315.33 would prevent an injured person who was more than 50 percent at fault for the accident from claiming any damages. However, FELA allows injured railway workers to claim compensation for all the damages attributable to someone else’s conduct. An individual who was 90 percent at fault for a fall could still collect 10 percent of their damages from other negligent parties.

A fall from heights railroad injury attorney in Ohio could investigate a fall to find evidence of employer negligence. Inadequate training, shoddy equipment maintenance, poor quality tools, ineffective safety rule enforcement, understaffing, and other acts or omissions could provide grounds for an injured worker to seek damages.

Potential FELA Damages for Injured Ohio Railroad Workers

When an employee in another industry must go through the workers’ compensation program for their work-related injuries, they might collect only a portion of their actual losses. Railroad workers have the benefit of claiming damages through FELA, which allows the worker to collect damages for the full range of losses they experienced due to their injury. Damages under FELA might include:

• All unreimbursed medical expenses
• Costs of injury-related future medical care
• Incidental health care expenses such as travel, prescriptions, rehabilitation services, medical equipment, home renovations, and other verifiable expenses
• Lost income and the value of fringe benefits used while recovering
• Diminished future earning potential
• Emotional suffering and physical pain
• Disfigurement
• Reduced opportunities to enjoy life

Injured workers must be able to prove their damages. An experienced Ohio railroad worker fall from heights lawyer could help an injured worker document all the losses they experienced and the costs they incurred due to their fall, and calculate an appropriate amount of compensation.

Get to Work with an Ohio Railroad Worker Fall from Heights Attorney

If you fell from a height and you feel your employer was at least partially responsible, seek out a legal professional with experience representing injured railroad employees. Pursuing damages under FELA is significantly different from pursuing a typical workers’ compensation claim and requires knowledge of the statute.

An Ohio railroad worker fall from heights attorney could help you get fair compensation for your injuries. Do not delay—schedule a consultation as soon as possible.