--- title: FELA Attorney's Blog | Exploring the rights and issues of railroad workers | Checklist for hiring railroad lawyer description: Checklist for hiring railroad lawyer | Exploring the rights and issues of railroad workers for on job injuries and whistleblower claims and those of injured passengers. --- [![fw-fela-logo.png](https://www.felaattorney.com/hs-fs/hubfs/fw-fela-logo.png?width=504&name=fw-fela-logo.png "fw-fela-logo.png")](https://www.felaattorney.com/) ![lpheader-blog-header.jpg](https://www.felaattorney.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LP_Headers/lpheader-blog-header.jpg?width=1024&name=lpheader-blog-header.jpg "lpheader-blog-header.jpg") ## FELA Attorney's Blog | Exploring the rights and issues of railroad workers and rail passengers ## [Does the FELA Cover Me Before or After I Punch In or Out of Work?](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/does-the-fela-cover-me-before-or-after-i-punch-in-or-out-of-work) Posted by [Marc Wietzke](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/author/marc-wietzke) on Oct 8, 2020 4:17:43 PM - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share)   ![humans-studio-f1vK8PYaGps-unsplash](https://www.felaattorney.com/hs-fs/hubfs/humans-studio-f1vK8PYaGps-unsplash.jpg?width=5184&name=humans-studio-f1vK8PYaGps-unsplash.jpg)   By the 1920s, the protections afforded by the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) were already well-established, but railroad work remained incredibly dangerous. Workers doing jobs in faraway locales couldn’t drive home for the night and they didn’t have money for hotels. So the railroad put them in “bunk cars” – unused rail cars sitting on track, usually in a yard. The conditions were, no surprise, often horrendous. The bunk cars had no air conditioning and it was not uncommon for them to be rodent-infested and uncomfortable. One night, a worker couldn’t stand it, and decided it would be better to sleep on the hard ground outside. When he dozed off, a passing train in the yard kicked up sparks and set him on fire. [Read More](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/does-the-fela-cover-me-before-or-after-i-punch-in-or-out-of-work) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/does-the-fela-cover-me-before-or-after-i-punch-in-or-out-of-work#comments-listing) Topics: [Passenger railroad injuries](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/passenger-railroad-injuries), [Checklist for hiring railroad lawyer](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/checklist-for-hiring-railroad-lawyer), [Railroad safety issues](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/railroad-safety-issues), [how to file your own injury claim](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/how-to-file-your-own-injury-claim), [settlements](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/settlements) ## [Does Geography Matter? When Choosing a Railroad Lawyer, Think Past State Lines](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/does-geography-matter-when-choosing-a-railroad-lawyer-think-past-state-lines) Posted by [Marc Wietzke](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/author/marc-wietzke) on Jul 13, 2017 1:30:08 PM - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share)     ![006-1.jpg](https://www.felaattorney.com/hs-fs/hubfs/006-1.jpg?width=1024&name=006-1.jpg)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. [Read More](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/does-geography-matter-when-choosing-a-railroad-lawyer-think-past-state-lines) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/does-geography-matter-when-choosing-a-railroad-lawyer-think-past-state-lines#comments-listing) Topics: [Checklist for hiring railroad lawyer](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/checklist-for-hiring-railroad-lawyer), [Basic steps to filing a fela lawsuit](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/basic-steps-to-filing-a-fela-lawsuit), [whistleblower](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/whistleblower), [FELA v Workers' Comp](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/fela-v-workers-comp), [FELA recovery](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/fela-recovery), [FELA injury](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/fela-injury) ## [How Long Do I Have to File a Railroad Lawsuit?](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/how-long-do-i-have-to-file-a-railroad-lawsuit) Posted by [Marc Wietzke](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/author/marc-wietzke) on Jan 15, 2015 8:00:00 PM - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ![deadline for filing a railroad lawsuit](https://www.felaattorney.com/hs-fs/hub/312738/file-2343771622.jpg?width=326&name=file-2343771622.jpg "deadline for filing a railroad lawsuit")How long do I have to file my case? Am I too late to file a claim with OSHA? Does my initial charge letter and the denial of my appeal give me different filing dates? Every week I get these questions from railroad workers looking to sue their carrier. So here are not only the answers, but also a calculator so you can figure it out for yourself. **First, your injury claim must be filed within three years of when you knew or should have known that you had a work-related injury.** In most instances, that means the date you got hurt. But there are other times where the beginning date might get fuzzy. [Read More](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/how-long-do-i-have-to-file-a-railroad-lawsuit) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/how-long-do-i-have-to-file-a-railroad-lawsuit#comments-listing) Topics: [FAQs on the job injuries](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/faqs-on-the-job-injuries), [Checklist for hiring railroad lawyer](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/checklist-for-hiring-railroad-lawyer), [Basic steps to filing a fela lawsuit](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/basic-steps-to-filing-a-fela-lawsuit), [whistleblower](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/whistleblower), [how to file your own injury claim](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/how-to-file-your-own-injury-claim), [FELA injury](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/fela-injury) ## [What Happens When You Report An On Job Injury To The Railroad?](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/what-the-railroad-does-behind-your-back-could-hurt-worse-than-your-injury) Posted by [Marc Wietzke](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/author/marc-wietzke) on Aug 20, 2014 4:24:19 PM - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ![when you get hurt on the railroad](https://www.felaattorney.com/hs-fs/hub/312738/file-1485313759.jpg "when you get hurt on the railroad")When you get hurt at work on the railroad, what the company does behind your back could be worse than your injury. Take for example, a shoulder injury or knee injury, both common injuries for railroad workers:   You busted your shoulder or twisted your knee on the job and your first thought was probably, ***“How am I going to work?”*** The railroad’s first thought was ***“How can we minimize this guy’s injury?”*** >   You reported your injury because you were too hurt to work, not because you wanted the railroad to pay up. Reporting it was the right thing to do. The railroad will discipline you if you don’t report an injury. But from the railroad’s perspective, “paying up” is always where this road leads and it’s prepared for court before you even decide to seek a shoulder surgery settlement or sue for your knee replacement. In this post we’ll look at what happens inside the railroad when you report an on-the-job injury. **Here are four important behind-the-scenes moves you should be on the look out for if you filed an injury claim:** [Read More](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/what-the-railroad-does-behind-your-back-could-hurt-worse-than-your-injury) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/what-the-railroad-does-behind-your-back-could-hurt-worse-than-your-injury#comments-listing) Topics: [FAQs on the job injuries](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/faqs-on-the-job-injuries), [Checklist for hiring railroad lawyer](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/checklist-for-hiring-railroad-lawyer), [how to hire a railroad lawyer](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/how-to-hire-a-railroad-lawyer), [Rights of Railroad workers](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/rights-of-railroad-workers), [Basic steps to filing a fela lawsuit](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/basic-steps-to-filing-a-fela-lawsuit), [FELA recovery](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/fela-recovery), [how to file your own injury claim](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/how-to-file-your-own-injury-claim), [FELA injury](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/fela-injury) [All posts](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/all) ### Subscribe to Email Updates ### Recent Posts ### Posts by Topic - [FELA injury (31)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/fela-injury) - [FAQs on the job injuries (24)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/faqs-on-the-job-injuries) - [Basic steps to filing a fela lawsuit (20)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/basic-steps-to-filing-a-fela-lawsuit) - [Railroad safety issues (19)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/railroad-safety-issues) - [FELA recovery (15)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/fela-recovery) - [whistleblower (13)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/whistleblower) - [Rights of Railroad workers (11)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/rights-of-railroad-workers) - [settlements (10)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/settlements) - [reporting safety concerns (8)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/reporting-safety-concerns) - [how to file a claim against railroad (7)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/how-to-file-a-claim-against-railroad) - [verdict (7)](https://www.felaattorney.com/blog/topic/verdict) - [how much is my case worth? 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