You already know working for the railroad is dangerous, but it’s more than your back and joints that are at risk. Sometimes it’s your job.
That was the case for Javier*, a young welder with just a couple years in. Last winter he was doing his job for Springfield Terminal Railway Co. when a set of rail rollers under tension dropped a piece of rail striking his knee and knocking him to the ground. He knew he was hurt so he reported it right away. It wasn’t an accident he caused (even his foreman admitted the welder hadn’t done anything wrong). Nonetheless, the railroad did what it always does: it issued an investigation letter under the discipline provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (aka the contract).
Where you go to trial isn’t as simple as the court nearest to where you live. Lawsuit locations are influenced by several factors and, this might surprise you, your FELA attorney actually has a say in which court you land. And if your lawyer is strategic, that location could improve your outcome.
If you get hurt in a train yard in Kentucky can a lawyer in New York represent you? He sure can. And in fact, the best lawyer for a rail worker’s injury is likely out-of-state.
When all you do for a living is sue passenger railroads like NJ Transit and freight carriers like CSX and NS, the calls start coming from clients and friends alike as soon as something like the Hoboken crash hits the news. Everyone asks me “What happened?” 
What should I ask my doctor? How do I remember what my doctor told me? How do I tell the railroad what my doctor said?
It isn’t like we haven’t all heard from our elders how we need more sleep. And our significant others have politely tried to tell us how haggard we look. We have noticed our short tempers, faulty memory and absent-mindedness when tired. The truth is poor sleep habits are the norm today. But on the railroad it isn’t just making people cranky, it’s setting the table for dangerous work habits.
