A jury in Roanoke, Virginia (VA), awarded a former Norfolk Southern employee $4.5 million for injuries he suffered after tripping on a crosstie along tracks at a terminal.
The injured rail worker was a conductor and brakeman before he tore a tendon in his ankle from the trip and fall. The jury determined that the weeds had grown to a point that obstructed the workers’ view and created an unsafe workplace.
Some people may think a trip and fall isn’t a serious injury, but not so in this case. The injury left him unable to work and in almost constant pain, according to WAVY-TV 10.
The railroad worker who developed a serious neurological condition called reflex sympathetic dystrophy or, as the nerve dsordr has more recently been labeled, complex regional pain syndrome (RSD/CRPS). Typically, this syndrome requires diagnosis by a specialist in neurological injuries. With or with diagnosis, the condition is painful, permanent and often disabling.
My Virginia railroad injury attorney colleagues and I understand just how serious RSD/CRPS is. We represented a rail worker who developed RSD after a bridge timber fell and crushed his leg. Doctors determined that our client would probably face a lifetime of pain. Therefore, we turned down the lowball settlement offers from the railroad company and took the case to trial, where we secured a $1.5 million verdict.
Our firm also represented a railroad conductor who was seriously injured while walking and inspecting his train along railroad tracks in a railroad yard. He was hit by a passing train engine that he had not been warned would be passing on the track next to him. As a result, he wound up with minimal use of one arm and virtually no use of either legs. We understood just how devastating his injury was, so we worked tirelessly and secured a multimillion dollar settlement for him.
This Roanoke jury verdict is one of the largest Virginia personal injury jury awards in recent history. Congratulations to attorney Will Moody Jr., who did a great job representing the injured rail worker.
PA