Conductor Loses Arm in California Train Wreck

Rick is a Virginia injury attorney who handles car accidents, medical malpractice, FELA, wrongful death, etc.

9/14/2010
Richard N. Shapiro
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Conductor Loses Arm in California Train Wreck

Doctors were forced to amputate the arm of a freight train conductor on a Union Pacific locomotive who was pinned in the wreckage of a train collision early last Friday morning. The freight train apparently rear-ended another train that was being pushed out of a rail yard in Fontana, California, on the same track, according to the Associated Press, reporting on this California freight train collision. In the violent impact, the the conductor's locomotive derailed and apparently wound up on top of other cars.

First responders were unable to free the conductor--who had "heavy amounts of steel on his arm"--from the wreckage, ABC News reports detailing the amputation of the conductor's arm indicated, and a surgical team was forced to amputate. The conductor is, fortunately, expected to recover although his is still hospitalized in serious condition. An engineer was successfully pulled from the wreckage with only minor injuries. There apparently were no other injuries.

It took about 12 hours for the crews to pull the mangled trains apart (which, combined, totaled 160 rail cars). About 500 gallons of anitfreeze leaked from one of the cars in the massive collision, but Hazmat workers determined that no environmental threat. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Railroad injuries can be severe and completely alter your life. This incident among others sadly reaffirms the high-risk, life-threatening nature of working in the railroad industry. Amputation-related injuries in particular involve both physical and mental suffering that can be devastating.

Railroad employers don't always put the employee at the top of the priority list, however, so If you're a railroad worker, you might be interested in finding out about all of your rights, including legal protections provide by the Federal Employers Liabilty Act (FELA), if or when you get hurt on the job. Our free book about railroad worker's hurt on the job written exclusively for railroad employees includes do's and don'ts for how to make sure you receive full compensation.

RH

Category: Railroad Injury/FELA

Labels: amputate amputation collision conductor Crash derailment FELA injury locomotive Pacific railroad train Union worker Wreck

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a Virginia injury law firm whose attorneys focus on personal injury and accident law and have handled hundreds of Federal Employers' Liability Act claims for railroad workers hurt or made ill while doing their rail jobs. We also have represented many people injured in train accidents. Please take a few moments to review our railroad injury case results. Our primary offices are in Virginia Beach and Hampton, VA, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in Virginia if you've been seriously hurt by someone else's carelessness.

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been included among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008, and have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2010. Fewer than 5 percent of lawyers are chosen for this professional honor.

In addition, we were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Our firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill. Our attorneys have even been included in the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009.

We would like to send you one of our free reports about railroad injury and FELA cases, including Dos & Don'ts When Injured at a Railroad: Your FELA Rights and What Railroad Claim Agents Agents Won't Tell You (But You Must Know).

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer a free initial confidential injury case consultations, so call us toll free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail so we can return your call.

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Conductor Loses Arm in California Train Wreck

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