Straight Track #262

Ron Pasquarella, Investigator
Hoey & Farina, P.C.
FELA Lawyers / Train Accident Attorneys
1-888-425-1212
info@hoeyfarina.com

There are warnings every where! Warning labels: HARMFUL OR FATAL IF SWALLOWED or ELECTRICAL SHOCK HAZARD. Warning signs: BRIDGE OUT or UTILITY CREW AHEAD. Warning systems: NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A STORM WARNING…

Warnings are there to protect you. For instance, they say you shouldn’t drink antifreeze. Why? Because it will kill you!

Through Straight Track, free seminars, mailers and visits to union meetings, Hoey & Farina educates railroaders and offers warnings for railroaders to be prepared in case of an on-the-job injury. Why? Because the railroads will screw you!

Yes, those are strong words. Warnings are meant to be strong. Warnings are meant to get your attention BEFORE anything harmful happens to you or someone you love.

OBTAIN DISABILITY INSURANCE

WHY?

If you are hurting for money due being off work injured, the railroad will use that as leverage to offer you far less than the true value of your claim.

REPORT UNSAFE CONDITIONS OR DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT

WHY?

If the railroad has no notice of the unsafe condition or defective equipment, it will not be found negligent or liable for your work injury.

REPORT YOUR INJURY AND OBTAIN A COPY OF INJURY REPORT

WHY?

If the injury was not reported within the time dictated by the rules, an investigation can be held and you can be fired.

TREAT WITH YOUR OWN DOCTORS

WHY?

Besides the fact that it’s your right, the company doctors work for the company, while your doctors work / care for you.

Hoey & Farina has received many calls from railroaders just like you - hard working, good people who believe their employers will take care of them and their family if they suffer a work injury.

They call and say, ‘I didn’t report the accident because I hoped my back would get better. My supervisor wanted me to wait to see if it did so the injury didn’t need to be reported. My back is really messed up. The doctor says I have a couple herniated discs. Now my supervisor says that I broke a rule by not reporting the accident right away. What can I do now?’

They call and say, ‘The railroad offered me a settlement. It’s nothing! I can’t go back to work, and it’s nothing! But I need the money! The claim agent said he can’t offer me any more because I admitted right on the accident report that it was my own fault. I don’t remember what I wrote. I think I checked something or wrote something that the railroad didn’t do anything wrong, that I tripped or something. I didn’t know, I just didn’t think it was a big deal at the time. What can I do now?’

They call and say, ‘The railroad’s doctor released me to go back to work a long time ago. I’ve been working, but my back is always bothering me. Lately, when I complain about my back they act like I’m faking it or something. They said they never saw anything on my x-rays. I don’t know how much longer I can keep working. What can I do now?’

They call and say, ‘My husband was killed last year in an accident at work. The railroad was so nice and said they would take care of us. It’s been a year and now they’re saying how sorry they are but since the accident was my husband’s fault there is nothing more they can do. Nothing more they can do? They haven’t done anything. We still don’t even know how the accident happened. My family has gotten so far in debt waiting on all of this to get resolved. What can I do now?’

In most of these situations, the damage was already done - evidence was lost, the paper trail never created! The injured railroaders and their families were left to take what the railroads offered, not what they deserved.

You wouldn’t drink antifreeze - don’t eat what the railroad tries to feed you either! Heed the warning! Educate yourself and your family now about what to do if you are ever suffer a work injury. The time to ask, ‘What can I do now?’ is before you are injured. If you have questions or would like to schedule a free seminar for railroad workers and their families in your area, please contact Hoey & Farina at (888) 425-1212 or info@hoeyfarina.com.

If you or a loved one have suffered a serious injury or wrongful death at work on the railroad, call an experienced FELA lawyer / train accident attorney at Hoey & Farina at 1-888-425-1212, or complete this form, for your FREE CONSULTATION. Hoey & Farina represents clients throughout the United States.