When a railroad worker for CSX, Norfolk Southern, Burlington Northern Santa Fe or any other rail company suffers an injury, there is plenty of paperwork. One of the documents an injured rail employee will have to fill out is an injury/illness report form.
Take a look at the CSX injury report form here.
It is important for a rail worker to take time when filling out this form, especially if the injury or sickness was potentially caused by the railroad company’s negligence. For example, question 29 on the CSX injury report form asks if anyone was at fault. If fault has been determined, the next question to answer asks for a description of the “extent” of the fault. The form also asks if a defective tool or equipment caused the injury. If you are unsure about any of the accident details, do NOT guess on the form.
Simply state that the details are unknown at this time. It is much wiser to write down that you do not know, rather than writing something that may be contradicted later on if you decide to pursue legal action through a FELA claim.
If you agree that you were provided a “safe place to work” — which is one of the form’s questions — then the company will say later that no one with the railroad was at fault and try to make you look like a liar later when you say, “The hand brake did not work like it should have.” The railroad’s lawyer will argue that you let a defective car go down the line to injure someone else.
It takes a bit of toughness to say what was unsafe with the herd of supervisors looking over your before they let you go home after an accident. But you need to report the problems to protect yourself and your co-workers. The FELA law and your union can help you to prevent any retaliation from the railroad officials against you for reporting an injury.
To learn more about your rights after an on-the-job railroad accident, take a look at this free report, which was written exclusively for hurt rail workers and their family members.
PA