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What is the FELA?

The Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) is a federal law passed by Congress in 1908 in recognition of the inherent dangers associated with employment in the railroad industry. It was designed to allow railroad workers to be fairly compensated for injuries sustained on-the-job. Prior to the passage of the FELA, injury and death statistics among railroad workers were appalling. In 1889, for example, the railroad was responsible for over 2,000 deaths and over 20,000 injuries in just one year. The average life expectancy for a brakeman was only about six years from the date of hire, making it one of the most dangerous jobs in America. While railroad safety has improved vastly over the past century, it remains one of the most dangerous jobs in the country.
In general, the FELA provides:

“Every common carrier by railroad engaging in commerce between any of the several states . . . shall be liable in damages to any person suffering injury while he is employed by such carrier in such commerce . . . for such injury or death resulting in whole or in part from the negligence of any of the officers, agents, or employees of such carrier, or by reason of any defect or insufficiency due to its negligence, in its cars, engines, appliances, machinery, track, roadbed, works, boats, wharves or other equipment.”

The purpose of the FELA is to promote a safe workplace and to compensate railroad workers when they are injured as a result of their employer’s negligence. It is the exclusive remedy for railroad workers to recover from their employer for on-the-job personal injury or death.

Who can bring a FELA claim?

The FELA covers all railroad workers employed with common carriers engaged in interstate commerce including conductors, engineers, carmen, electricians, machinists, trackmen/maintenance of way, signal maintainers, bridge & building workers, yardmasters, pipefitters/sheet metal workers, welders, carpenters, and laborers.

In addition, a wrongful death claim can be pursued for the benefit of the surviving spouse and children of the employee. If the employee was single with no children, then the employee’s parents will be next in line to pursue the claim. If the employee has no surviving parents, then the next of kin dependent upon the employee would be able to bring the claim. Regardless of who brings a FELA death claim, they must be the appointed estate representative.

What are the requirements of a FELA claim?

In contrast to workers’ compensation statutes, which provide compensation for on-the-job injuries regardless of fault by an employer, the FELA is a fault-based statute. This means that recovery requires proof that the railroad’s negligence played a part in causing a worker’s injury.

Negligence can be established in many ways, but in general, it is done by showing that the railroad failed to provide a reasonably safe place to work. If a railroad fails to provide a reasonably safe place to work, and that failure contributes to an injury, in whole or in part, then the railroad is liable for all damages caused by its negligence. Even if a railroad worker is also partially at fault, the FELA allows the worker to recover for the percentage of the railroad’s negligence that contributed to an injury.

An exception to the negligence requirement is when the railroad is found to be in violation of a federal safety regulation such as the Safety Appliance Act or the Locomotive (Boiler) Inspection Act. These regulations involve safety equipment on locomotives and rail cars. Other federal regulations may be implicated as well, including regulations that require railroads to ensure that vegetation is properly managed and that track beds have adequate drainage. If a railroad is found to have violated a federal safety regulation, it will be strictly liable for all resulting injuries, regardless of any fault on the part of the worker.

Common injuries under FELA

Virtually any injury occurring as a result of railroad negligence that results in damages will constitute a valid FELA claim, but some of the most common types and causes of railroad worker injuries include:

In addition to providing compensation for traumatic bodily injuries sustained from railroad-related tasks, the FELA also covers injuries due to toxic exposures. Many railroad workers were regularly exposed to substances such as asbestos, diesel exhaust, silica dust, creosote, welding fumes, chemical solvents, and weedkillers such as Roundup throughout their careers.

These substances have been shown to cause various forms of cancer including mesothelioma, lung cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, laryngeal cancer, esophageal cancer, and colon cancer. Other respiratory diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis and scleroderma are also linked to railroad exposures. Most major railroads KNEW about the dangers of these exposures and failed to warn and/or protect their workers, which constitutes negligence.

What damages are available to a FELA claimant?

Although the FELA requires a showing of the railroad’s negligence, FELA awards are generally much higher than those of workers’ compensation claims. That is because the FELA allows for the recovery of actual damages. The categories of damages that may be recovered include:

  • Past and future wage loss
  • Out-of-pocket expenses
  • Past and future fringe benefits
  • Past and future pain and suffering, including emotional damage
  • Past and future medical expenses
  • The value of any lost limb
  • Shame and humiliation surrounding any physical disability, scar, or another disfigurement
  • Economic loss to your dependents if you die

Not all damages are recoverable under the FELA, however. Because the FELA is designed primarily to compensate the worker, claims for loss of consortium (deprivation of the benefits of a family relationship due to an injury) are not allowed. Further, regardless of how reckless the railroad is in causing an injury, the FELA does not allow punitive damages to be imposed against the railroad.

Time limits for FELA claims

All FELA claims against railroads must be brought within three years of when the worker first knew, or should have known, about his injury and its relationship to his employment. In the case of an acute injury or death, calculating this date is simple – three years from the date of the incident. For injuries that take time to develop, such as occupational cancer, the time begins to run when the worker first realizes that his or her condition was caused by an unsafe workplace. Since diseases such as cancer can take many years to develop after initial exposure, railroad workers may bring these types of claims even long after they retired.

What railroads are subject to FELA?

Not all railroads are common carriers engaged in interstate commerce. For example, if a railroad is a localized independent carrier, such as a mass transit system operating entirely within the confines of a major city, it may not be considered a common carrier engaged in interstate commerce, and thus, not subject to FELA liability. Even in such a situation, however, courts have held that the granting of trackage rights for use by interstate carriers is sufficient to bring a railroad within FELA jurisdiction.

RAILROADS SUBJECT TO FELA
A&R Terminal Railroad (ART)
Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad (AR)
Aberdeen, Carolina and Western Railway (ACWR)
Acadiana Railway (AKDN)
Adams-Warnock Railway (AWRY)
Adrian and Blissfield Rail Road (ADBF)
Affton Terminal Services Railroad (AT)
Ag Valley Railroad (AVRR)
Aiken Railway (AIKR) (WCRSC)
Airlake Terminal Railway (ALKT) (PGR)
Akron Barberton Cluster Railway (AB) (WE)
Alabama and Gulf Coast Railway (AGR) (GWRR)
Alabama and Tennessee River Railway (ATN) (OMLX)
Alabama Export Railroad (ALE) (MSE)
Alabama Southern Railroad (ABS) (WATX)
Alabama Warrior Railway (ABWR) (WATX)
Alamo Gulf Coast Railroad (AGCR) (MMAX)
Alamo North Texas Railroad (ANTX) (MMAX)
Alaska Railroad (ARR)
Albany and Eastern Railroad (AERC)
Albany Port Railroad (APD)
Alexander Railroad (ARC)
Aliquippa and Ohio River Railroad (AOR) (GWRR)
Allegheny Valley Railroad (AVR) (CLEX)
Allentown and Auburn Railroad (ALLN)
Alton and Southern Railway (ALS) (UP)
AMTRAK

(NRPC) National Railroad Passenger Corporation
AN Railway (AN) (GWRR)
Angelina and Neches River Railroad (ANR)
Ann Arbor Railroad (AA) (WATX)
Apache Railway (APA)
Appalachian and Ohio Railroad (AO) (PLTX)
Arcade and Attica Railroad (ARA)
Arizona and California Railroad (ARZC) (GWRR)
Arizona Central Railroad (AZCR) (WG)
Arizona Eastern Railway (AZER) (GWRR)
Arkansas–Oklahoma Railroad (AOK)
Arkansas and Missouri Railroad (AM)
Arkansas Midland Railroad (AKMD) (GWRR)
Arkansas Southern Railroad (ARS) (WATX)
Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi Railroad (ALM) (GWRR)
Ashland Railway (ASRY)
Ashtabula, Carson and Jefferson Railroad (ACJR)
AT&L Railroad (ATLT)
Atlantic and Western Railway (ATW) (GWRR)
Austin Western Railroad (AWRR) (WATX)
Autauga Northern Railroad (AUT) (WATX)
B&H Rail Corporation (BH) (LAL)
Baja California Railroad (BJRR)
Baldwin City & Southern Railroad (BCSO) (MIDL)
Ballard Terminal Railroad (BDTL)
Baton Rouge Southern Railroad (BRS) (WATX)
Batten Kill Railroad (BKRR)
Bauxite and Northern Railway (BXN) (GWRR)
Bay Colony Railroad (BCLR)
Bay Line Railroad (BAYL) (GWRR)
Bayway Terminal Switching Company (BAWT)
Beech Mountain Railroad (BEEM)
Bee Line Railroad (BLEX) (KBSR)
Bellingham International Railroad (BIRR) (BNSF)
Belt Railway of Chicago (BRC)
Belvidere and Delaware River Railway (BDRV) (CHD)
Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad (BLE) (CN)
BG&CM Railroad (BGCM) (MPRL)
Big 4 Terminal Railroad (BFT) (CNUR)
Big Spring Rail System (BSR)
Bighorn Divide and Wyoming Railroad (BDW)
Birmingham Terminal Railway (BHRR) (WATX)
Bi-State Development Agency (BSDA)
Belpre Industrial Parkersburg Railroad (BIP)
Black River and Western Corporation (BRW) (CHD)
Blacklands Railroad (BLR)
Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad (BNG)
Bloomer Line (BLOL)
Blue Rapids Railway (BLRR) (UP)
Blue Ridge Southern Railroad (BLU) (WATX)
Bogalusa Bayou Railroad (BBAY) (WATX)
Boise Valley Railroad (BVRR) (WATX)
Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad (BSVY)
Border Transload & Transfer (BT) (RVSC) (IHRX)
Border Pacific Railroad (BOP)
Brandywine Valley Railroad (BVRY) (ARCL)
Branford Steam Railroad (BRFD)
Brookhaven Rail (BHR) (USRC)
Brownsville and Rio Grande International Railroad (BRG) (OMLX)
Buckingham Branch Railroad (BB)
Bucyrus Industrial Railroad (BIR) (BRRX)
Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad (BPRR) (GWRR)
Buffalo Southern Railroad (BSOR)
Burlington Junction Railway (BJRY)
Burlington Northern Santa Fe
BNSF Railway (BNSF)
Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway (BAP) (PATR)
C&NC Railroad (CNUR)
Caldwell County Railroad (CWCY)
California Northern Railroad (CFNR) (GWRR)
Camden and Southern Railroad (CSR) (ARSL)
Camp Chase Railway (CAMY) (IBCX)
Canadian National Railway (CN)
Canadian Pacific Railway (CP)
Caney Fork and Western Railroad (CFWR) (IHRX)
Canton Railroad (CTN)
Cape Fear Railways (CF) (USAX)
Cape May Seashore Lines (CMSL)
Carolina Coastal Railway (CLNA)
Carolina Piedmont Railroad (CPDR) (GWRR)
Cascade and Columbia River Railroad (CSCD) (GWRR)
CaterParrott Railnet (CPR)
CBEC Railroad (CBEC)
Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway (CIC)
Central California Traction Company (CCT)
Central Indiana and Western Railroad (CEIW)
Central Maine and Quebec Railway (CMQ) (RAH)
Central Midland Railway (CMR) (PGR)
Central Montana Rail, Inc. (CM)
Central New England Railroad (CNZR)
Central New York Railroad (CNYK) (NYSW)
Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad (CORP) (GWRR)
Central Railroad of Indiana (CIND) (GWRR)
Central Railroad of Indianapolis (CERA) (GWRR)
Central Washington Railroad (CWRR) (CBRW)
CG Railway (CGR)
Charlotte Southern Railroad (CHS) (ADBF)
Chattahoochee Industrial Railroad (CIRR) (GWRR)
Chattooga and Chickamauga Railway (CCKY) (GWRR)
Chesapeake and Albemarle Railroad (CA) (GWRR)
Chesapeake and Indiana Railroad (CKIN) (IBCX)
Chessie Logistics (CLCY)
Chestnut Ridge Railroad (CHR)
Chicago–Chemung Railroad (CCUO)
Chicago Heights Terminal Transfer (CHTT) (UP)
Chicago Junction Railway (CJRY) (PGR)
Chicago Port & Rail (CPRL)
Chicago Port Railroad (CPC)
Chicago Rail Link (CRL) (OMLX)
Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad (CSS) (APH)
Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad (CFE) (GWRR)
Chicago, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (CSP) (PGR)
Cicero Central Railroad (CECR) (WATX)
Cimarron Valley Railroad (CVR) (WG)
Cincinnati Eastern Railroad (CCER)
City of Prineville Railway (COP)
Clackamas Valley Railroad (CVLY)(PGR)
Clarendon and Pittsford Railroad (CLP) (VTR)
Cleveland and Cuyahoga Railroad (CCYH) (OMLX)
Cleveland Port Railroad (CPRY) (OMLX)
Cleveland Works Railway (CWRO) (ARCL)
Clinton Terminal Railroad (CTR)
Cloquet Terminal Railroad (CTRR)
CMC Railroad (CMC)
Coffeen and Western Railroad (CAEG) (Ameren)
Colorado and Wyoming Railway (CW)
Columbia and Cowlitz Railway (CLC) (PATR)
Columbia Basin Railroad (CBRW)
Columbia Business Center Railroad (CBCX)
Columbia Terminal Railroad (CT)
Columbia & Walla Walla Railway (CWW) (FTRX)
Columbus and Chattahoochee Railroad (CCH) (GWRR)
Columbus and Greenville Railway (CAGY) (GWRR)
Columbus and Ohio River Rail Road (CUOH) (GWRR)
Commonwealth Railway (CWRY) (GWRR)
Conecuh Valley Railroad (COEH) (GWRR)
Connecticut Southern Railroad (CSOR) (GWRR)
Coopersville and Marne Railway (CPMY)
Coos Bay Rail Link (CBRL)
Copper Basin Railway (CBRY)
Corpus Christi Terminal Railroad (CCPN) (GWRR)
Crab Orchard and Egyptian Railroad (COER) (PGR)
CSX Transportation (CSXT)
Dakota & Iowa Railroad (DAIR)
D&W Railroad (DWRV) (IANR)
Dakota Northern Railroad (DN) (ILSX)
Dakota Southern Railway (DSRC) (MPRL)
Dakota, Missouri Valley and Western Railroad (DMVW)
Dallas, Garland and Northeastern Railroad (DGNO) (GWRR)
Dardanelle and Russellville Railroad (DR) (ARSL)
De Queen and Eastern Railroad (DQE) (PATR)
Decatur Central Railroad (DCC) (OMLX)
Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad (DREI) (WATX)
Decatur Junction Railway (DT) (PREX)
Delaware–Lackawanna Railroad (DL) (GVTX)
Delray Connecting Railroad (DC) (TSTR)
Delmarva Central Railroad (DCR) (CLEX)
Delta Southern Railroad (DSRR) (WBIH)
Delta Valley and Southern Railway (DVS)
Denver Rock Island Railroad (DRIR)
Depew, Lancaster and Western Railroad (DLWR) (GVTX)
Deseret Power Railroad (DPRW)
Detroit Connecting Railroad (DCON) (ADBF)
Dover and Delaware River Railroad (DD) (CHD)
Dover & Rockaway River Railroad (DRRV) (CHD)
Dubois County Railroad (DCRR) (ITM)
East Brookfield and Spencer Railroad (EBSR)
East Camden and Highland Railroad (EACH)
East Cooper and Berkeley Railroad (ECBR) (PRRY)
East Erie Commercial Railroad (EEC) (GE)
East Jersey Railroad (EJR)
East Penn Railroad (ESPN) (RRLX)
East Tennessee Railway (ETRY) (GWRR)
East Troy Electric Railroad (ETER) (METW)
Eastern Alabama Railway (EARY) (GWRR)
Eastern Idaho Railroad (EIRR) (WATX)
Eastern Illinois Railroad (EIRC)
Eastern Kentucky Railway Company (EKRC)
Eastern Maine Railway (EMRY) (NBSR)
Effingham Railroad (EFRR)
El Dorado and Wesson Railway (EDW)
Elizabethtown Industrial Railroad (EZR)
Elk River Railroad (ELKR) (ARCS)
Elkhart and Western Railroad (EWR) (PNRC)
Ellis and Eastern Company (EE)
Escalante Western Railway (EW) (WFAX)
Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad (ELS)
Evansville Western Railway (EVWR) (PLTX)
Everett Railroad (EV)
Fairfield Southern Company (FS) (TSTR)
Falls Road Railroad (FRR) (GVTX)
Farmrail Corporation (FMRC)
FFG&C Railroad (FFGC)
Finger Lakes Railway (FGLK)
First Coast Railroad (FCRD) (GWRR)
Flats Industrial Railroad (FIR)
Florida Central Railroad (FCEN) (PNSY)
Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) (RAH)
Florida, Gulf and Atlantic Railroad (FGAR) (RailUSA)
Florida Midland Railroad (FMID) (PNSY)
Florida Northern Railroad (FNOR) (PNSY)
Fordyce and Princeton Railroad (FP) (GWRR)
Fore River Transportation Corporation (FRVT)
Fort Smith Railroad (FSR) (PNRC)
Fort Worth and Western Railroad (FWWR)
Foxville and Northern Railroad (FVN)
Fredonia Valley Railroad (FVRR) (MMAX)
FreightCar Short Line (FCSL)
FTRL Railway (FTRL)
Fulton County Railroad (FC) (EWRY) (PNRC)
Fulton County Railway (FCR) (OMLX)
Galveston Railroad (GVSR) (GWRR)
Garden City Western Railway (GCW) (PNRC)
Gardendale Railroad (GRD) (IHRX)
Gary Railway (GRW) (TSTR)
Gateway Eastern Railway (GWWE) (KCS)
Gateway Industrial Railroad (GIRR)
Geaux Geaux Railroad (GOGR) (WATX)
Georges Creek Railway (GCK)
Georgetown Railroad (GRR)
Georgia and Florida Railway (GFRR) (OMLX)
Georgia Central Railway (GC) (GWRR)
Georgia Northeastern Railroad (GNRR) (PATR)
Georgia Southern Railway (GS) (PNRC)
Georgia Southwestern Railroad (GSWR) (GWRR)
Georgia Woodlands Railroad (GWRC) (OMLX)
Gettysburg and Northern Railroad (GET) (PNRC)
Global Container Terminals New York (GCTX)
Golden Isles Terminal Railroad (GITM) (GWRR)
Golden Triangle Railroad (GTRA) (PATR)
Goose Lake Railway (GLRY) (FTRX)
Grafton and Upton Railroad (GU)
Grainbelt Corporation (GNBC) (FMRC)
Grand Elk Railroad (GDLK) (WATX)
Grand Rapids Eastern Railroad (GR) (GWRR)
Grand River Railway (GRRL)
Great Lakes Central Railroad (GLC)
Great Northwest Railroad (GRNW) (WATX)
Great Walton Railroad (GRWR)
Great Western Railway of Colorado (GWR) (OMLX)
Green Mountain Railroad (GMRC) (VTR)
Greenville and Western Railway (GRLW) (WCRSC)
Grenada Railway (GRYR) (RailUSA)
Gulf Coast Switching (GCSX) (APH)
Hainesport Secondary Railroad (HSCR) (HT)
Hampton and Branchville Railroad (HB) (PRRY) (o/s)
Hartwell Railroad (HRT) (GRWR)
Heart of Georgia Railroad (HOG) (GWRR)
Heritage Railroad (HR) (SARM)
Herrin Railroad (HRRL)
High Point, Thomasville & Denton Railroad (HPTD) (CSXT) (NS)
Hilton & Albany Railroad (HAL) (GWRR)
Hondo Railway (HRR)
Hoffman Transportation (HTCX)
Hoosier Southern Railroad (HOS) (TNW)
Housatonic Railroad (HRRC)
Huntsville and Madison County Airport Authority (HMQR) (IICX) (NS)
Huntsville and Madison County Railroad Authority (HMCR)
Huron and Eastern Railway (HESR) (GWRR)
Hussey Terminal Railroad (HTRC)
Idaho and Sedalia Transportation Company (ISR)
Idaho Northern and Pacific Railroad (INPR) (RGPC)
Illini Terminal Railroad (ITR) (RRC)
Illinois and Midland Railroad (IMRR) (GWRR)
Illinois Railway (IR) (OMLX)
Illinois Western Railroad (ILW) (EFRR)
Indiana and Ohio Railway (IORY) (GWRR)
Indiana Eastern Railroad (IERR)
Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad (IHB)
Indiana Northeastern Railroad (IN)
Indiana Rail Road (INRD)
Indiana Southern Railroad (ISRR) (GWRR)
Indiana Southwestern Railway (ISW) (PNRC)
Iowa Interstate Railroad (IAIS) (RDC)
Iowa & Middletown Railway (IMRY) (REG)
Iowa Northern Railway (IANR)
Iowa River Railroad (IARR) (MPRL)
Iowa Southern Railway (ISRY) (PGR)
Iowa Traction Railroad (IATR) (PGR)
Ithaca Central Railroad (ITHR) (WATX)
Jackson & Lansing Railroad (JAIL) (ADBF)
Jacksonville Port Terminal Railroad (JXPT) (WATX)
Joppa and Eastern Railroad (JE)
Juniata Terminal Company (JTFS)
Juniata Valley Railroad (JVRR) (NSHR)
Kanawha River Railroad (KNWA) (WATX)
Kanawha River Terminal (KRT)
Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad (KBSR)
Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad (KO) (WATX)
Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS)
Kansas City Transportation Lines (KCTL) (KAW) (WATX)
Kaw River Railroad (KAW) (WATX)
Kendallville Terminal Railway (KTR) (PNRC)
Kennewick Terminal Railroad (KET) (FTRX)
Kentucky and Tennessee Railway (KT) (BSFX)
Keokuk Junction Railway (KJRY) (PNRC)
Kiamichi Railroad (KRR) (GWRR)
Kingman Terminal Railroad (KGTR) (PATR)
Kinston and Snow Hill Railroad (KSH) (G&O)
Kiski Junction Railroad (KJR)
Klamath Northern Railway (KNOR)
KM Railways (KM) (KMTX)
Knoxville and Holston River Railroad (KXHR) (G&O)
Kodak Park Railroad (KPK) (KODK) (RSS)
KWT Railway (KWT) (GWRR)
Kyle Railroad (KYLE) (GWRR)
Lake Michigan and Indiana Railroad (LMIC) (ARCL) (NS)
Lake State Railway (LSRC)
Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad (LSI)
Lake Terminal Railroad (LT) (TSTR)
Lancaster and Chester Railway (LC) (G&O)
Landisville Railroad (LVR)
Lapeer Industrial Railroad (LIRR) (ADBF)
LaSalle Railway (LSRY)
Laurinburg and Southern Railroad (LRS) (G&O)
Leetsdale Industrial Terminal Railway (LIT)
Lehigh Railway (LWRY) (OHRY)
Lehigh Valley Rail Management – Bethlehem Division (LVRB) (LVRM)
Lehigh Valley Rail Management – Johnstown Division (LVRJ) (LVRM)
Lewisburg and Buffalo Creek Railroad (LBCX) (UCIR) (NSHR)
Little Kanawha River Railroad (LKRR)
Little Rock and Western Railway (LRWN) (GWRR)
Little Rock Port Authority Railroad (LRPA)
Live Oak Railroad (LOR)
Livonia, Avon and Lakeville Railroad (LAL)
Longview Switching Company (LVSW) (BNSF) (UP)
Lorain Northern Railroad (LNOR) (TSTR)
Los Angeles Junction Railway (LAJ) (BNSF)
Louisiana and Delta Railroad (LDRR) (GWRR)
Louisiana and North West Railroad (LNW) (PATR)
Louisiana Southern Railroad (LAS) (WATX)
Louisville and Indiana Railroad (LIRC) (APH)
Lubbock and Western Railway (LBWR) (WATX)
Lucas Oil Rail Lines (LORL)
Luxapalila Valley Railroad (LXVR) (GWRR)
Luzerne and Susquehanna Railway (LS) (OHRY)
Lycoming Valley Railroad (LVRR) (NSHR)
M&B Railroad (MNBR) (GWRR)
Madison Railroad (CMPA)
Mahoning Valley Railway (MVRY) (GWRR)
Maine Northern Railway (MNRY) (NBSR)
Manning Rail (MANN) (Manning Grain)
Manufacturers’ Junction Railway (MJ) (OMLX) (o/s)
Marquette Rail, LLC (MQT) (GWRR)
Maryland and Delaware Railroad (MDDE)
Maryland Midland Railway (MMID) (GWRR)
Massachusetts Central Railroad (MCER)
Massachusetts Coastal Railroad (MC) (IPH)
Massena Terminal Railroad (MSTR) (GWRR)
Meeker Southern Railroad (MSN) (BDTL)
Meridian Southern Railway (MDS) (OHRY)
MG Rail, Inc. (MGRI) (CTLC) (CGBE)
Michigan Shore Railroad (MS) (GWRR)
Michigan Southern Railroad (MSO) (PNRC)
Mid-Michigan Railroad (MMRR) (GWRR)
Middletown and Hummelstown Railroad (MIDH)
Middletown and New Jersey Railroad (MNJ) (RRLX)
Mineral Range Railroad (MRAX)
Minnesota Commercial Railway (MNNR)
Minnesota Northern Railroad (MNN) (ILSX) (KBNI)
Minnesota Prairie Line, Inc. (MPLI) (TCWR)
Minnesota, Dakota and Western Railway (MDW)
Mission Mountain Railroad (MMT) (WATX)
Mississippi Central Railroad (MSCI) (PNRC)
Mississippi Delta Railroad (MSDR) (ROCK)
Mississippi Export Railroad (MSE)
Mississippi Southern Railroad (MSR) (WATX)
Mississippi Tennessee Railroad (MTNR) (IHRX)
Itawamba Mississippian Railway (MSRW) (HMI)
Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad (MNA) (GWRR)
Missouri North Central Railroad (MNC) (MRIX)
Modesto and Empire Traction Company (MET)
Mohawk, Adirondack and Northern Railroad (MHWA) (GVTX)
Montana Rail Link (MRL)
Morristown and Erie Railway (ME)
Moscow, Camden and San Augustine Railroad (MCSA)
Mount Hood Railroad (MH) (IPH)
Mount Vernon Terminal Railway (MVT)
Napoleon, Defiance & Western Railroad (NDW) (PNRC)
Nashville and Eastern Railroad (NERR) (RJCR)
Nashville and Western Railroad (NWR) (RJCR)
Natchez Railway (NTZR) (AKRM)
Naugatuck Railroad Company (NAUG)
Navajo Mine Railroad (TNMR)
Northampton Switching Company (NDCR)
Nebraska Central Railroad (NCRC) (RGPC)
Nebraska Kansas Colorado Railway (NKCR) (OMLX)
Nebraska Northwestern Railroad (NNW)
Nevada Industrial Switch (NISX) (PSGX)
New Castle Industrial Railroad (NCIR)
New Century AirCenter Railroad (JCAX)
New England Central Railroad (NECR) (GWRR)
New England Southern Railroad (NEGS)
New Hampshire Central Railroad (NHCR)
New Hampshire Northcoast Corporation (NHN)
New Hope and Ivyland Railroad (NHRR)
New Jersey Rail Carriers, LLC (NJRC)
New Jersey Seashore Lines (NJSL) (CMSL)
New Orleans and Gulf Coast Railway (NOGC) (RGPC)
New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB)
New York and Atlantic Railway (NYA) (ARH)
New York and Lake Erie Railroad (NYLE) (OCTL)
New York and Ogdensburg Railway (NYOG) (VTR)
New York New Jersey Rail, LLC (NYNJ)
New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYSW)
Newburgh and South Shore Railroad (NSR) (OMLX)
Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad (NBER) (NSHR)
Norfolk and Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad (NPB)
Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) and subsidiaries: Alabama Great Southern Railroad (AGS), Camp Lejeune Railroad, Central of Georgia Railroad (CG), Chesapeake Western Railway (CHW), Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway (CNTP), Georgia Southern and Florida Railway (GSF), Interstate Railroad (INT), State University Railroad, Tennessee Railway (TENN), Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia Railway (TAG)
North Carolina and Virginia Railroad (NCVA) (GWRR)
North Louisiana & Arkansas Railroad (NLA) (ARSL)
North Shore Railroad (NSHR)
Northern Lines Railway (NLR) (ARH)
Northern Ohio and Western Railway (NOW) (OMLX)
Northern Plains Railroad (NPR)
Northwestern Oklahoma Railroad (NOKL)
Northwestern Pacific Railroad (NWP) (NCRA)
Oakland Global Rail Enterprise (OGRE)
Ogeechee Railway (OGEE)
Ohi-Rail Corporation (OHIC)
Ohio Central Railroad (OHCR) (GWRR)
Ohio South Central Railroad (OSCR) (IERR)
Ohio Southern Railroad (OSRR) (GWRR)
Ohio Terminal Railway (OHIO) (CLEX)
Oil Creek and Titusville Lines, Inc. (OCTL)
Old Augusta Railroad (OAR)
Olympia and Belmore Railroad (OLYO) (GWRR)
Union pacific
(UP)

Whether a railroad worker, contractor, or subcontractor is eligible to bring a claim under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act is not always clear. It is typically a factual determination made by a judge at the outset of a case. Nevertheless, employees of the following railroads who are injured on the job may be able to pursue compensation through the FELA.

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The bottom line is that if you’ve been hurt on the job, you need a competent attorney in your corner. Our firm has decades of experience representing injured railroad workers almost exclusively, and we are prepared to put that experience to work for you in your case. We are a nationwide law firm; we proudly fight for injured railroad workers anywhere in the United States. If you need a team you can depend on, you are in the right place. Contact Doran & Murphy today to schedule your free case evaluation with our highly-skilled railroad injury firm.

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